The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Teen Genius
by AllieLongbottom
Summary: This is meant to be a continuation of the TV series. Each chapter is like an episode. Jimmy and his friends are all in high school now, but they still have some crazy adventures... Read and Review Please! Major Jimmy/Cindy focus.
1. All 'Grown' Up

**A/N: If you only want to read this story for Jimmy/Cindy, I suggest you skip to Chapter 3. :)**

* * *

><p>His pencil scratched across the paper at a ridiculous pace. He could feel his knuckles cramping, but did not pause. He would not yield to such trivial things as physical pain when it came to a matter this serious. His vision blurred from staring at those parallel black lines that covered the pages he wrote upon. He hoped his handwriting would be legible, but that was only a distant worry in the back of his mind.<p>

_Hamlet's inability to take action in revenge only furthered his regress into madness – _

Something moved to his right and he twitched his head up involuntarily. Thankfully, it was not as he feared. The demon still sat there, perched on the plastic seat with her legs crossed daintily as if to hide the true evil within. She too wrote furiously, and he was reminded of the task at hand.

_Hamlet is foiled by Fortinbras in both the literal and figurative sense. Fortinbras eagerly charged into battle against Denmark despite his chances of victory – _

He neared the concluding paragraph and his pulse quickened. A smug smile spread across his face as he surmised the failure that Hamlet had in taking his revenge. This time, he was turning in his essay before Vortex.

_Hamlet ultimately failed in his petty goals – _

SCRATCH.

A tingle glided up his neck as he heard the condemning sound of a chair being pushed back. He slowly looked up to his right.

Despite the energy she had taken to push back her chair and the obvious tension that she had while she was writing, Cindy walked forward calmly with a haughty smile. Jimmy felt heat rush to his face as she put her thick essay on Mrs. Hethern's desk. The elderly teacher didn't bother to look up from her computer, but Cindy waited there for a second or so.

"I'm finished, Mrs. Hethern." Cindy stated overly-loudly.

"That's very good, Cindy. Please take a seat." The teacher dismissed.

As Cindy turned around, she looked directly at Jimmy and gave him a triumphant smile.

Jimmy's narrowed eyes followed her as she walked back to her desk. She sat down and took out a book to read for the remaining thirty minutes of class. Jimmy exhaled and let his head drop down unto his desk.

He finally gained the strength to raise his head and finish his essay after what seemed like eons of humiliation. He haphazardly scribbled the last few words on the pages and turned his in at the front of the room with his head hung in shame.

And then he drew the plans for his latest invention on a piece of scratch paper for the remaining twenty-nine minutes of class.

..^^^..

As the bell rang, Jimmy attempted to gather his things quickly so he could leave the room before _she_ got a chance to gloat. He was up, he was quickly walking out the door, he was in the hall –

"Foiled again, Nerdtron!"

He cringed at the voice coming directly behind him. He whipped around to glare at her.

"We'll see, Vortex. First doesn't mean best. I'm sure our grades will reveal the truth." He declared, even though being first had meant everything to him mere moments before.

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes and walked into step with him. "Did you see the new hydrocarbon molecule theory the NCRC released this morning? I think…"

He only half listened to her opinions on the matter. He had read the article last night on WikiLeaks and was firm on his stance concerning its mal-enviornmental effects. The whole 'friendship' thing was still weird anyway. Especially after she just had one of her VERY FEW victories against his intellect. It was a marvel that they could stand each other at all. But, Jimmy hypothesized, practice makes perfect. They have been trying to practice this friendship thing for the past seven years.

"…so I think it would be completely pointless to enact it at this particular juncture."

Jimmy snapped out of his musings.

"WHAT? Now is the PERFECT juncture! Any negative effects the gaseous byproducts could have would be negated over the long run and end in a better and less expensive way to operate pseudo-electrical powering."

They stopped in the middle of the hallway much to the chagrin of the passers-by. She turned to him and put her hands on her hips.

"Do you even REALIZE the IMPLICATIONS of a functioning hydrocarbon pseudo-electrical plant?"

"OF COURSE I DO! THAT'S HOW I KNOW IT'S THE WAY TO POWER THE FUTURE!"

"THERE WON'T BE A FUTURE – "

"OH YES THERE WILL, AND IT'LL BE BETTER!"

"C'mon, guys. We'll be late for lunch." Libby coolly commented as she walked by.

Jimmy and Cindy froze in mid-argument, both with fingers pointed and eyebrows furrowed. They slowly dropped out of their offensive stances and walked toward the cafeteria.

..^^^..

"Carl. SERIOUSLY, dude. There is NO WAY a stupid LLAMA would make it as Ultra Lord's side kick. Robofiend would like, eat him, dude." Sheen's eye twitched as he proclaimed what he believed was a hard a scientific fact as Jimmy had ever stated.

"Nobody's mean enough to eat a llama, Sheen! They'd have to be reeeeealy evil." Carl shivered.

"ROBOFIEND IS EVIL. HE. IS. A. SUPER. VILLIAN." Sheen stood up with fury, leaning over the table and staring Carl down.

"Okay, okay, Sheen." Carl said defensively, his hands held out in front of him ready to half-heartedly block an attack should Sheen decide his rage wanted to reach physical levels.

Carl and Sheen continued their banter while Jimmy sat engrossed in drawing up his latest experiment. On the other side of the table, Cindy and Libby talked.

"How'd the AP Lit test go?" Libby asked casually.

"It went off without a hitch! My essay was turned in a full minute before Frankenhead's!" She nodded over to where Jimmy sat.

He looked up for a second, glared at her, and rolled her eyes in response to her comment. He quickly returned to his work, writing a little more violently than was necessary.

Libby rolled her eyes too.

"Cin," she said in a softer tone, "Aren't we a little old for this? I thought all the bickering was done way back in _fifth grade_. When you guys did that little dating thing, it was cute – "

"Dating thing?" Cindy said a bit too loudly, making her blush and then quickly lower her tone. "Like you said. We were in FIFTH GRADE. You can hardly call that dating. And it wasn't! It was just a little crush thing. Not even, really. It was just so strange for us to try and be friends back then. We didn't realize the feelings we had for each other were purely platonic. We mistook the whole thing for love, but WE WERE ELEVEN. So stop pestering me about it, Libbs. It's not like you and Sheen were in true love way back then. Look how that worked out."

Libby glanced over at Sheen who was currently making Robofiend noises from a specific episode of Ultra Lord.

"True." Libby sighed, "But I still think I might like him…"

"Seriously, Libby?" Cindy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He's cute, and you know it."

"Ew."

..^^^..

Back in his lab, Jimmy worked furiously bringing his newly finished plans to life. After a few hours of tinkering, it was almost completely finished.

"Jimmy!"

Mrs. Neutron's voice echoed through the lab and her face appeared on the screen in front of Jimmy.

"Time for dinner, honey. You can't create fantastic gadgets on an empty stomach, you know."

Jimmy groaned aloud and debated whether or not he should skip dinner to finish his work and face the wrath of his mother later or go up and eat dinner. In response, his stomach growled. He put down his wrench and headed to the newly fixed passageway that led from the lab to the fireplace.

With the push of a button, Jimmy was sucked up into a tube and spat out into his living room, completely covered in soot.

"Mental Note: Fireplace Passage NOT fixed yet." He said as he rubbed his back and brushed the soot off his shirt.

..^^^..

"HEY JIMMY!"

Sheen rapped feverishly on the door as Carl stood next to him and whistled.

"Oh, well…I guess he's not here, Sheen…We should just go –" Carl started to walk away, but Sheen quickly grabbed him by the arm. He pulled Carl in close to his face and opened his eyes as wide as he could.

"THIS IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!" Sheen screeched, punctuating each word with a shake of Carl's arm. "Jimmy will PROVE to you that a llama could never survive travelling at the speed of light!"

"I still think that with a cute little protective suit on –"

"NO SIDEKICK OF ULTRA LORD WOULD WEAR A PROTECTIVE SUIT. ESPECIALLY NOT A _CUTE_ ONE!"

Sheen banged his head against the door of Jimmy's lab in frustration. After a few hard hits, the 'Welcome' matt beneath them gave way.

They both landed hard on the concrete floors of Jimmy's lab. They groggily got up and looked around for any sign of Jimmy. An orange light was flashing in the corner where Jimmy had just been working on his latest invention. Carl approached it warily.

"What do you think it is, Sheen?" Carl poked it and backed away quickly. Sheen ran up chaotically and snatched the device up, handling it with little regard to its possibly dangerous properties. It was shaped like a gun of some sort, with a blue liquid pulsing inside of it.

"Sheen! DON'T TOUCH JIMMY'S STUFF!" Carl waved his hands in panic.

"Calm down, you little baby! This is why you can't comprehend the greatness that is Ultra Lord! Besides, we've been hanging out with Jimmy for years now. I think I can handle one of his little toys."

Sheen stroked the gadget and gave a wicked grin.

"Sheeeeeen! Stop it! You're being all creepy again!"

"LET'S TAKE THIS BABY OUT FOR A SPIN!" Sheen yelled as he ran out of the lab.

..^^^..

"And that is why old gym socks are not good for pie filling." Hugh Neutron finished as his wife and son looked at him with disgust and disbelief.

Jimmy coughed uncomfortably and gave a forced smile.

"Well, I'm off to the lab again. See you later!" he waved as he ran out of the kitchen.

When Jimmy opened the door, he was greeted with Sheen chasing Carl around the yard pointing Jimmy's newest creation at him.

"Sheen! NO! That's my –"

At that moment, Sheen accidentally fired the device at Carl. A blue streak of light shot out from the nozzle and missed Carl as he ducked. The light flew across the street and hit a blond figure as she walked out of her pink house.

"CINDY!" Jimmy yelled as he ran across the street. He was stopped halfway there when a giant ankle grew out in front of him.

"IT'S GODZILLA!" Sheen shouted, "I'LL CALL ULTRA LORD!"

"No, Sheen. It's Cindy. You hit her with my Deshrimpifyer!" Jimmy yelled angrily.

"Your what?" Carl asked, scratching his head.

"I was kind of… hoping… for an assisted growth spurt…BUT I DIDN'T FINISH THE ADJUSTMENTS YET! AND NOW CINDY'S A GIANT!"

"NEEUUUUUTROOOOOON!" Cindy's voice bellowed from her mouth twenty feet above them.

"Cindy! Be careful! You might not realize it, but your strength has increased along with your size!"

"Oh, please Neutron. Like I couldn't figure that –" As Cindy swung her hand out to cross her arms, her forearm collided with the chimney of Jimmy's house and knocked it down.

"There goes the chimney again!" Mr. Neutron's voice rang out from inside the house.

"Oops." Cindy smiled nervously with a mouth that spanned several feet.

..^^^..

"So how are you going to get me out of this one, King Cranium?" Cindy's irritated voice boomed as she sat in the open field of the Retroville Park. Dozens of people stood at the perimeter of the park watching the spectacle.

"Well, I'm not sure yet…maybe if you'd have been a bit kinder about the AP Lit test, I'd be able to think a bit faster…"

"NEUTRON! You're not even going to be able to beat me on the next test if I can't even pick up a pencil without breaking it!"

True, thought Jimmy. But, what was more satisfying to him? Beating her on a test or watching her fume over her enormous stature…

"NEEEEUUUUUTROOOOON!"

"Alright, alright."

He removed a bottle of greenish liquid from his backpack and held it up so she could see it.

"Now, you can't take it yourself or you'll crush the bottle. You'll have to lift me up and allow me to administer it."

Cindy rolled her eyes and picked him up gingerly from the waist as to not crush him, however she might be tempted. She pulled him up to her face and opened her mouth, ready to receive the antidote.

"Wow. You really do have a BIG mouth, Vortex!" Jimmy remarked as he poured the solution into her open mouth. She grimaced, but more from Jimmy's comment than the taste of the serum. After she had swallowed the whole of it, she lowered Jimmy and then dropped him to the ground for the last few feet.

Cindy grinned smugly as she began to shrink down to normal size. Jimmy got up, rubbing the new bruises on his arm. However, as soon as Cindy was back to her old self, she walked over to him and pushed him back down. She leered over him with her hands on her hips.

"You will receive no mercy on the AP Bio Test tomorrow." She laughed.

"Challenge accepted." He couldn't help but smile back.

..^^^..

Jimmy and Cindy walked home together a couple of hours later after responding to the new crews that had gathered around the park to witness the giant girl.

"You know, Vortex? I actually kind of like having you as competition. It'd be pretty boring without you."

She smiled and the quaint Retroville houses behind her shimmered and disappeared, transforming into a country road backdrop that seemed familiar to Jimmy.

"Oh, James!" Cindy exhaled deeply as she flung herself at him, "You're just sooooo intelligent. It would take gigahertz of magnetic wave power to detract me from the gravitational pull of your intellect…and dashing good looks." She batted her eyelashes.

"I can't help it, Cynthia. I'm just so incredible…in every way…" He then swung her down into a dip and kissed her pink lips. It was light at first, but then it progressed and….

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

Jimmy awoke, startled by his alarm clock. He took a moment to catch his breath and then he remembered the dream he just had. With a groan, he slumped back down unto his bed.

"Ugh, Goddard. Hormones." He sighed exasperatedly.

Goddard barked in affirmative. Jimmy thought briefly about the AP Bio test he had that day and the girl, fueled by anger of her discomfort as a giant yesterday, that would try to outdo him. Whatever the hormones did to addle his brain, he would not ease up on the academic front. Not a chance.

And so began another day in the adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Teen Genius.


	2. You Snooze, You Loose

"Hey, Jimmy, did you ever wonder why they don't make Ultra Lord toothpaste for adults?" Sheen mused aloud as the same old three amigops walked over to the Candy Bar on a Friday afternoon.

"Um, no. Not really." Jimmy replied, still surprised by some of the things that Sheen said even after several years.

"Well, it's just that I'm a man now, you see," He gestured to his lanky and twitchy figure, "and I think I've outgrown the 'Ultra Boy's Purple Plaque-Killing Power' toothpaste."

"I think that's probably good, Sheen." Jimmy patted his friend on the back comfortingly.

"I dunno, dude. What if Robofiend hits my mouth with the Plaque Ray like in 'Episode 211: Cavities of Chaos' made for Dental Awareness Month? What I need is some Ultra MAN toothpaste."

Jimmy rolled his eyes, unable to dignify that with a response.

"It's okay, Sheen," Carl soothed, "I still use my 'Pretty Pink Princess' toothpaste."

Jimmy and Sheen stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at Carl with astonishment and disgust.

"WHAT? It's the only one at the store that's hypoallergenic! Plus I need the edible kind. Toothpaste just tastes too good not to swallow." He pulled the pink tube out of his hygienic case he carried with him everywhere. Carl rubbed his stomach and smiled.

..^^^..

Jimmy walked into Retroville High School completely exhausted the following Monday. He admitted it; AP Literature was not his strong point. He should not have procrastinated on his John Donne research paper until eleven o'clock last night. But he had been so busy working on the new modifications for Goddard! Giving his holographic projection display high definition was a job well worth putting off a paper for.

Jimmy reached his locker and leaned over to scan his eye and open it. However, he was so heavy with sleep that he started to topple over. His ten page research paper fell and lay scattered on the floor around him.

"Ugh." He moaned, banging his head against his locker.

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER!"

A siren sounded from within his locker and everyone in the hallway turned to look. His locker flew open and a pair of robotic hands hoisted Jimmy up by the ankles so that he hung upside-down next to his locker. Unfortunately, in his sleepy haze, Jimmy forgot to put on his belt that morning. His pants slid up with the robotic hands' grip revealing Jimmy's atomically patterned boxers.

A rush of heat went to his face as he reevaluated putting such a restrictive security system in his locker. Laughter rang out from the crowd around him and he only blushed further. Among the giggles, he specifically heard a high pitched cackle he was quite familiar with.

"How's it hanging, Spewtron?" Cindy walked forward from the crowd, clutching her stomach from her vehement laughter. Jimmy merely crossed his arms in response, still dangling upside-down.

The bell rung and the crowd began to dissipate.

"So, Neutron," she spat out between laughs, "how do I get you down?"

"Just push the blue button." He gestured to the glowing blue light in the back of his open locker.

Cindy pushed it and Jimmy fell to the ground. She spat out another round of chuckles, and then offered him a hand to get back up.

"C'mon," she stammered, her body still shaking with laughter, "we should get to AP Lit."

They made it to Mrs. Hethern's just as the bell was ringing and took their seats next to each other at the front of the room.

"Pass up your papers." Mrs. Hethern walked briskly to the front of the room and collected the thick stack of reports. "All good, then. Today, I want to introduce British Gothicism. We'll read Wuthering Heights next week which, by the way, is not like Twilight no matter how hard Ms. Meyer tries…"

Jimmy struggled to stay awake; his head bobbed up and down as he was subjected to the alpha waves in his brain commonly associated with Stage 1 sleep. Class seemed to last only a few minutes before the bell rung. Jimmy got up groggily and hobbled toward the door.

"Wow, Neutron. I _almost_ feel sorry for you." Cindy mocked as she caught up with him.

Jimmy was too exhausted to think of a witty retort, let alone vocalize one. After his lack of response, Cindy's face morphed into genuine concern.

"Neutron? Are you okay?"

"I'm just…" he yawned, "tired. I had some…difficulties…with that paper last night."

"You know, if you really needed my help I'd tutor you in Renaissance poetry. Instead of you running on empty – "

"That's it!" Jimmy perked up. "Gotta go Cindy. Bye!"

"Wha – WELL FINE. I WOULDN'T HAVE HELPED YOU IF YOU DIDN'T ADMIT I WAS SMARTER THAN YOU IN ENGLISH ANYWAY!" she yelled after him. Then, with a defeated sigh, she added, "Why do I even bother?"

..^^^..

Jimmy tried to catch up on sleep in the remainder of his classes that day. He was going to need all the sleep he could get if he wanted to do an entire invention in one night. At the end of the day, he rushed home without even stopping by the Chemistry Club meeting he was scheduled to attend.

"Goddard!" Jimmy cried out as he entered the lab, "I have found the solution! The need for sleep has been holding me back for years. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."

Goddard barked in confusion.

"Don't you see Goddard? I'm going to alter the levels of acemenoliphin in my bloodstream so that they'll replenish hourly. I'll never need to sleep again!"

Goddard whimpered, sensing that this experiment wouldn't go terribly well.

Within a few hours, Jimmy held a small vial of pink, bubbling liquid.

"Behold!" he proclaimed as he held it out in front of him, "The answer to all of my problems!"

Jimmy drank the substance and smiled victoriously.

..^^^..

Jimmy walked to school the next morning with a confident stride. He hadn't had a wink of sleep the previous night, but he felt no lack of energy whatsoever. The chemical had worked and he was able to spend the entire night studying for the oral quiz in AP Government. Vortex did not stand a chance.

He visited his locker briefly, this time without any mishaps, and walked over to Mr. Garshaw's class. He sat down in his seat and folded his hands on his desk, eager for the quiz to start. Cindy walked in shortly after with Nissa. Before taking her seat on the other side of the room, she stopped in front of his desk.

"What do you look so happy about?" Cindy placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Your inevitable defeat today on the oral quiz. I'm looking forward to the gloating." He smiled contentedly.

"I wouldn't be so confident, Spewtron. This is a humanities class, remember? My forte?" She put her hands on his desk and loomed over him. Jimmy leaned forward so that there was barely and inch between them.

"Not anymore."

Cindy huffed and retreated to her seat. Mr. Garshaw came in quickly afterward. He was a small man with precisely cut dark hair and beady black eyes. However, his appearance was deceiving. His voice and personality were twice the size of a normal person's.

"SIT DOWN, PLEBIANS!" he shouted and he strode powerfully to his desk. "ORAL QUIZZES TODAY! Resistance to fail is futile for most. PREPARE FOR THE WORST! And remember, this class is a DICTATORSHIP. So don't try to argue your PATHETIC grades." He pulled out his clipboard and sat on a stool at the front of the room.

"Who shall be the first victim…" he glanced over the room, "VORTEX!"

Cindy stood up confidently waiting for her question.

"What are the sources of presidential authority over legislative matters?"

Cindy delved into a short but essentially correct answer that most students would kill to give. Jimmy noticed the details she was leaving out and he chuckled softly to himself. This was in the bag.

"Good, Vortex. That's why we start with you." Mr. Garshaw nodded. "Acceptable, at least. A-."

Cindy beamed and glared at Neutron, thinking she had beaten him. But, oh, was she ignorant. Mr. Garshaw went through the class, most of which barely scraped Cs. Jimmy tapped his leg, filled with a sudden burst of energy. Finally, the only person yet to take the oral quiz left was Jimmy.

"Alright, Neutron. Let's go. How should judges interpret the law?" Mr. Garshaw crossed his arms and waited for the answer.

"The law should always be interpreted using the parameters set in the constitution. Take, for example, Marbury vs. Madison – "

The strangest thing occurred as Jimmy spoke. The velocity of his words increased and increased by the second until is response was not understandable.

Mr. Garshaw's face drew into a scowl.

"NEUTRON! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"

"Ican'tstopitmustbemyexperiment – "

"NEEUUUUUTROOOON!" Mr. Garshaw yelled out angrily. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "THAT'S IT, NEUTRON. F!"

"YOUDON'TKNOWWHATYOU'REDOINGTHISISANACCIDENTYOUCAN'TGIVEMEANF!" Jimmy dropped to his knees, but Mr. Garshaw was already leaving the room.

"Wow, Neutron. You almost got me there!" She laughed triumphantly.

"NoCindyyoudon't understand. It was myy expeeeerimennnt. Heeeey myyy taaaalkinggg issss geeeettinggg sssssloooooowerrrrr…" Jimmy began to wobble in his kneeling position until he toppled onto the floor, completely out cold.

..^^^..

"So what exactly happened?" Libby asked at the lunch table later that day.

"I don't really know. He just passed out." Then she added, under her breath, "I hope he's okay."

"I HEARD THAT!" Libby exclaimed, "You _do_ care!"

"Oh, please, Libbs. It's only friendly concern. He and are supposed to be friends, you know." Cindy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, sure. You're really good at that." Libby smiled knowingly.

Cindy punched her shoulder and Libby gasped in pain. She rubbed the new sore spot on her arm.

"Shut up."

"Ouch."

Just then, there was a prolonged beep, signaling an announcement from the intercom.

"Attention students. We are evacuating the school. The nearby nuclear energy plant is experiencing a cooling failure. We need to leave the area quickly. Luckily, it's a relatively small plant. Will everyone please exit in an orderly fashion – "

There were screams of panic as the entire cafeteria broke into chaos. Libby was about to get up and start running like everyone else when Cindy grabbed her wrist.

"No. We have to get Neutron. There's no way we can escape the radiation in time. We need him to stop it."

Libby nodded solemnly. They ran in the opposite direction of the swarming crowd down the main hallway. They came to the nurse's office and saw the small and elderly nurse, Mrs. Gallagher, attempting to lift a still unconscious Jimmy. Cindy and Libby rushed inside.

"We can take care of him, Mrs. Gallagher." Cindy patted her on the back.

Mrs. Gallagher placed him back on the little cot they had in the office. She smiled and nodded her thanks. She told them to be safe and then she scurried off as fast as her little, frail legs could carry her.

"He's still out cold! What are we going to do?" Libby asked, panicked.

"Well, first we have to find the rest of Team Nerdtron. They probably know what the supposed genius has done to himself." Libby and Cindy picked up Jimmy together and started out of the room. On the way out they bumped into Sheen and Carl, causing all five of them to fall to the ground.

"YOU DORKS!" Cindy scowled, rubbing her bruised knee.

"We were just coming to get Jimmy!" Carl shouted defensively.

"Well, he's still completely unconscious. How do we wake him up?" Cindy asked expectantly. Carl and Sheen just shrugged.

"WHAT?" Cindy bellowed, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?"

"No, we haven't talked with him since yesterday…" Carl looked at Cindy timidly, the added, "I'M SORRY!"

Cindy took a deep breath and rubbed her temples.

"Okay. Take me to Neutron's lab."

..^^^..

After plucking a hair from Jimmy's still unconscious head, Cindy fell down into the lab. Knowing that she would soon hit the ground, she braced herself and was able to land on her feet. She smiled, impressed with herself.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

An echoing cry rang out as the rest of the group came flying down on Cindy and knocked her over. She huffed and then shimmied herself out from under the pile of her friends. She walked over to Neutron's desk and examined some notes he had laying there concerning acemenoliphin chemistry. She rolled her eyes.

"He was trying to function without sleep by altering the chemical levels in his body. Idiot. Everyone knows that sleep is absolutely necessary for normal functioning. The mixture he created caused him to go into an energy high, and now he's in a crash. He probably won't regain consciousness for hours, though. We need our own plan."

"WE SHOULD CALL ULTRA LORD!" Sheen shouted with his fist in the air.

"I don't think so, Ultra Loser." Cindy sat at Jimmy's computer and began to type rapidly. "I think I might be able to counteract the overheating using some of the chemicals in Jimmy's lab. I'll need Zirconium, Liquid Nitrogen, Silver Nitrate, and a whole lot of ERL."

The four of them searched frantically through the lab until they had all the necessary materials. Then Sheen and Carl lifted Jimmy up once again and they left the lab, off to the Retroville Nuclear Power Plant.

The place was deserted; everyone had evacuated long ago. Flashing red lights shone in every direction and a resounding alarm filled the air. They were able to enter the control room, and Cindy immediately started pushing various buttons.

"This is designed similarly to the nuclear plant in France I did a report on last year for AP Physics. Libby! Dump the ERL into this hole." Cindy gestured to a small opening of a tube that led into the reactor room. "Sheen! Carl! I need you to mix the Zirconium and Liquid Nitrogen together. Got it?"

They nodded and got to work. Cindy continued to punch away on the control computer. After about ten minutes, the building began to rumble.

"CINDY! THIS PLACE IS GONNA BLOW!" Libby called out.

"I don't understand! It should have calmed down after we added the Silver Nitrate!" Cindy backed away from the computer and hung her head. "We're doomed!"

A moan sounded behind them and they all snapped around to see Jimmy sleepily getting up.

"Neutron!" Cindy ran over to him and shook his body.

"What? WHAT?" He yelled as he came to.

"There's been a cooling malfunction here at the nuclear plant! I added the correct ZrAgNO3 formula, but nothing's working!"

He quickly moved from anger to concern.

"It seems like we need some sort of a light cleansing paste, but not containing any barbiturates." Jimmy reasoned after looking at the computer screen.

"We don't have time to go back and get anything – " Libby started.

"Wait! Carl! Give me your 'Pretty Pink Princess' toothpaste!" Jimmy barked.

Carl clumsily pulled out his hygienic case and dropped several of the items before he removed the pink tube. He tossed it over to Jimmy.

Jimmy quickly squirted it into the pipe that led to the main reactor. They waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. A mechanical voice echoed out that implosion would occur in just twenty-five seconds.

"Twenty-four, twenty-three, twenty-two…" It counted down.

The group of friends held each other. Cindy snatched Jimmy's hand. He looked over at her, but she ignored him as she listened the countdown progress.

"Five, four, three, two…" And then it stopped.

The lights stopped flashing and the sirens ceased. The readings showed the reactor's temperature decreasing. The five of them all cheered. Cindy realized she was holding Jimmy hand and she quickly removed it. She looked over at him nervously and he smiled at her for a second. Then Carl squeezed him into a big hug and he lost eye contact. Cindy let loose a relieved sigh.

..^^^..

They all walked home together. One by one, each friend went to his or her respective home until only Jimmy and Cindy remained.

"This was just like the time you drained your brain. Why is it that whenever the danger isn't your fault, you're not there to help?" She punched him in the shoulder.

"May I remind you I ended up deflecting the meteor that day anyway? AND I ultimately saved the town today as well." Jimmy huffed.

"Well, you couldn't have done it without MY help either time, Neutron!" With that, she turned and walked up the driveway to her house.

He watched her go. She was right, no matter how it pained him to admit it. And today…Today she didn't just flip a switch to make his brain large again. She had almost completely disabled a nuclear explosion all on her own. Jimmy felt his skin grow warm as he watched her ascend the steps to her door. She was the smartest person he knew. To do what she did today was quite…impressive.

She reached the door and opened it. As she turned around to close it, she noticed Jimmy looking at her. She stuck her tongue out in response. Jimmy immediately snapped out of his previous musings and returned the favor.

He folded his arms and crossed the street to his own house. He mumbled angrily about how insufferable she was, but he could not shake the unfamiliar feeling of warmth that lingered on the back of his neck.

**A/N: Hey all! I hope you're liking the story so far! I'd just like to let you know - and if you write fanfics too, you understand - I would REALLY appreciate some reviews. I work hard on this instead of doing my homework! ;) So when I have over 100 people read this, but only NINE review, it's kind of discouraging. Especially since my sister was one of them. Thanks to those who have reviewed - YOU ROCK! And those about to leave this page, please consider writing me one. It doesn't even have to be positive! I'd just like some feedback to know if I should keep writing these. PLEEEEEEASE! :) Thank you for reading anyway. :)**


	3. The Opposite of Love

"Alright, pick your partners." Mrs. Montey stated.

Jimmy was quickly surrounded by a crowd of people desperate for a good grade. It was amazing who they would let into AP classes these days, especially AP Biology. Had the sanctity of scientific brilliance been tarnished completely?

Cindy glanced around the room. Of course Libby would be absent the day they picked project partners. Cindy walked over to Mrs. Montey's desk.

"Mrs. Montey, could I work with Libby? She isn't here today."

The thin and frail looking teacher looked up from her grading. She pushed her glasses up and scrutinized Cindy.

"No, Ms. Vortex. We're starting work on the projects in class today. Libby will work with Ike since he's absent today as well. I'll give them an extension."

"I'll work for Libby in class by myself today. You know I'm capable – "

"Yes, Cindy. You're very capable. A little too capable, perhaps. I don't want you to take over this project. It's supposed to be a partner effort."

Just then, Jimmy pushed through the crowd of students that surrounded him and ended up standing right next to Mrs. Montey's desk. The teacher gestured to him.

"Why don't you work with Jimmy? At least you'll both contribute."

Jimmy and Cindy looked at each other with disgust.

"I really don't think that would be productive, Mrs. Montey – " Jimmy started.

"No, I think it would be best. If you work to it, the two of you could make something truly excellent."

"But Mrs. Montey – " Cindy pleaded.

"No buts. I'm quite looking forward to this." She smiled.

Jimmy groaned aloud very conspicuously and Cindy just stood there staring at Mrs. Montey, a slight twitch in her left eye.

..^^^..

Cindy had asked Libby's teachers for the work Libby missed while being absent. She now walked down Libby's street, lugging several books and muttering angrily to herself. She walked up to her best friend's house and attempted to ring the doorbell without dropping any of the books she was carrying. That effort failed, leaving Libby's things splayed out on the ground in front of her. Cindy kicked a book in frustration and then rang the doorbell a little too forcefully.

Libby opened the door. Her eyes were sunken and her lips were chapped. She held a tissue in one hand and a packet of cough drops in the other. Despite her friend's sickly appearance, Cindy felt no sympathy.

"Thanks for bringing my stuff, Cin." Libby noticed the books on the ground. "What happened to –"

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"What? Girl, I'm sorry you had to bring my work over, but it is not my fault you dropped it." Libby sniffled.

"NO! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!" Cindy threw her arms in the air. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE DID IN AP BIOLOGY TODAY?"

"Well, seeing as I wasn't there –"

"WE PICKED PARTNERS. DO YOU KNOW WHO I HAVE TO WORK WITH?"

"Hmmm, let me guess." Libby rolled her eyes.

"STUPID, BUTT-FACE, KNOW-IT-ALL, IDIOT NEUTRON!"

"C'mon Cindy," Libby blew her nose, "you guys _are _supposed to be friends –"

"OH PLEASE, LIBBY!" Cindy crossed her arms tightly. "WE CAN BARLEY TALK FOR A WHOLE MINUTE WITHOUT ARGUING! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO A PROJECT?"

..^^^..

Jimmy sat on the curb outside his home glaring at the pink house across the street.

He had to work with _Cindy._

She was going to want to do some kind of ridiculously lame project and they were going to have to argue about it. She was going to want everything her way, but didn't she realize that Jimmy _constantly_ outdid her in school? There was a reason for that! He should have full reign on this project! After all, it was about mechanical biology. Who was better with mechanics than Jimmy? Certainly not _Cindy_. He was going to have to spend _hours_ with her…

The unfamiliar warmth (that was becoming quite familiar, much to Jimmy's dismay) prickled at the nape of his neck. He shook his head and ignored it.

"Alright, Freakboy. What are we going to do about this?"

The warmth rekindled. In his musings, he had failed to notice Cindy herself walking home from Libby's house.

"Well, I have plenty of excellent ideas, but I'm sure you don't even want to hear them." Jimmy crossed his arms.

"I did have an idea myself, but if you –"

"Okay, Vortex." Jimmy silenced her as he turned to face her, "If we have to work together, let's just face the facts. I am _much_ better at this kind of thing, so you should just let me –"

"DO YOU EVER LEARN, NEUTRON? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO DEFLATE YOUR EGO AND JUST REALIZE THAT I'M SMART TOO? YOU NEVER CHANGE!" Cindy stormed across the street and entered her house. She slammed the door behind her.

Jimmy did feel kind of badly. He did know she was smart. He was pretty sure that had a great deal to do with that stupid neck-warmth thing. But he was justified in what he said. _She _hadn't changed either. Sure, she was the smartest person he knew, but she was also the bossiest. What a hypocrite! He'd change if she did!

Jimmy turned indignantly and marched over to his clubhouse.

..^^^..

That night, Jimmy lied in bed unable to sleep. His mind was clouded with both happy and angry thoughts concerning Cindy Vortex. He hated her so much. But some small part of himself wanted an intellectual equal. One with soft blond hair and intelligent green eyes... He covered his face with a pillow. These conflicting thoughts only made him hate her more.

"Goddard, options." He said, muffled by the pillow.

Goddard hopped up on the bed next to Jimmy. Jimmy removed the pillow from his faced and sat up to look at Goddard's screen.

DON'T DO THE PROJECT AND FAIL AP BIOLOGY

"Are you kidding, Goddard? Jimmy Neutron does not fail."

LET CINDY DO THE PROJECT HER WAY

"Goddard! That's even worse."

APOLOGIZE TO CINDY AND TRY TO WORK TOGETHER

Jimmy grimaced at the thought of apologizing to the monster that lived across the street. However, failing did not appeal to Jimmy. He was going to have to spit out a blatant lie of apology to her. Then, hopefully, they could just get this stupid project over with.

..^^^..

Jimmy walked across the street begrudgingly that Saturday morning. He kept telling himself that either he do this or fail. It helped a little. However, when he arrived at the door, all he could muster was a soft knock. When no response came, he forced himself to ring the doorbell. He heard movement inside and the blinds of the window adjacent to the door cracked open. A pair of green eyes peered out, saw Jimmy standing there, and narrowed. The blinds snapped shut. A second later, the door opened, but only a crack. The chain lock remained fastened, preventing Jimmy from full entry.

"What do YOU want?" Cindy scowled.

"Look, can I come in?" Jimmy huffed. Cindy smiled smugly.

"I don't know. _Can_ you?" Her eyes glittered with pride. Jimmy immediately hated himself for his grammatical slip-up and he wished he could go home. _It's this or failure_, he reminded himself. He took a deep breath.

"_May_ I come in?"

Cindy shut the door and undid the chain lock. She then opened it to its full capacity.

"I'm sorry, Vortex." Jimmy cringed as he stepped inside. He tried to look at her eyes and appear genuine without vomiting.

"Wait a minute! James Isaac Neutron is apologizing? Where is my camera?" Cindy looked around in mock sincerity.

"Look. I just want to do this project as quickly as possible and get it over with." Jimmy stated exasperatedly.

Cindy crossed her arms and looked at him with disdain.

"Fine. That seems reasonable enough."

"Alright. I have the materials necessary in my lab. We can work there."

Cindy nodded.

"I just have to get my stuff. I'll be over in a minute." She let Jimmy out and he headed toward the clubhouse.

_It's only for a while_, he told himself as he descended into his lab, _just a few hours and it's over._

Cindy came rapping at the door just a few minutes later. He pushed the button and she fell down onto the unforgiving concrete floor.

"You'd think that a genius like yourself would've figured out a better entrance to his lab by now." Cindy grunted, rubbing her back. Jimmy glared at her. "Right," she corrected, "let's get the project done. No fighting."

"I have a few different plans for full-functioning mechanical prosthetic limbs. I even have a prototype here, though I haven't gotten it to work yet." He gestured to a rough looking mechanical arm on the table beside him. "I feel like going the extra mile to actually make what it is we're researching will really cause Mrs. Montey to be impressed with my work." It was Cindy's turn to glare. "I mean, _our _work." He corrected.

"Sounds acceptable. I have most of the research completed," she pulled out a red folder from her backpack. "We just need to put it all into a PowerPoint or something."

"I just need to get the necessary materials for a new mechanical arm out of storage. I'll be right back." He laid the plans for the project on his work table and he exited the main room of his lab.

Cindy tapped her foot lightly as she glanced around the laboratory. This was the first time she'd been alone with Jimmy in the lab for a _long _time. The place felt so vacant without Sheen and Carl's banter. Yet it seemed as if a dense cloud of supreme awkward-ness filled the empty air around her. Determined to preoccupy herself, Cindy looked at Jimmy's plans for the mechanical arm.

"Pssh." She rolled her eyes as she noted a mistake. "So called genius."

Cindy looked nervously from the door that Jimmy had just exited to the mechanical arm. After hearing nothing for a few seconds, she picked up a wrench form Jimmy's tool box and began making the necessary adjustments.

Jimmy entered the room to find _Cindy Vortex_ using _his_ plans to make adjustments to _his_ robotic arm using _his_ metronomic wrench. Cindy, wrapped up in her work, failed to notice his arrival. Jimmy inhaled sharply and raised a finger, prepared to scream his brains out. However, just before he could speak, the mechanical arm in Cindy's hand twitched. Jimmy's finger fell and he let the air softly escape his lungs.

The arm twitched again and again until it was making fluid movements. Jimmy stared in disbelief at Cindy's back as she brought the machine to life. Her head darted back and forth between Jimmy's plans and the machine before her, causing her ponytail to swing softly. Her hands somehow gripped the wrench delicately and forcefully. Her ankles were crossed as she stood there, faintly swaying her slight figure as she worked. Jimmy's neck grew hot.

Cindy saw something out of the corner of her eye and she jumped. She whipped around to face Neutron. He was standing there, a look of utter disbelief on his face. His mouth was wide open and his arm was half-heartedly raised. He must have been in so much shock that she had touched his things that he couldn't react.

"Sorry!" she spit out as quickly as possible, hurriedly dropping his tools on the table.

Jimmy had to blink several times before reacting. He readjusted his posture to an upright offensive stance. He put on as staunch a face of anger as he could muster.

"What are you DOING, Vortex?" He yelped, his voice cracking.

Cindy forced herself not to laugh. She shuffled awkwardly.

"I just noticed you forgot to recalibrate the lower part of the humerus plank. I thought I'd try to fix it –"

"Don't you think I already KNEW that?"

"Well, no, Dweebtron," she placed her hands on her hips, "seeing as you couldn't get it to –"

"IT WAS ONLY A PROTOTYPE! I KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG!"

"OH, SURE!"

"YES! I _AM_ A GENIUS, YOU KNOW! NEWSFLASH, YOU'RE NOT!"

"OH, SO WE'RE GONNA GO THERE?"

After an hour of pointless arguing, Jimmy and Cindy sat at opposite corners of the lab. Jimmy worked on the robotic arm, reluctantly using the prototype Cindy had fixed. Cindy typed angrily on her laptop, creating the PowerPoint presentation. She finished the works cited page, saved it, and shut her laptop loudly.

"I'm out of here. Just have that STUPID arm done by Monday." She stormed out without bothering to wait for his response.

..^^^..

Third period rolled around and Jimmy meandered over to the Biology classroom, project in hand. He took his seat next to the blond demon and tried very hard not to look in her direction. The class started and Mrs. Montey asked the first group to present their project. Jimmy sat there, unable to focus on a single PowerPoint, so strongly was he trying not to look at the green eyed monster beside him.

"Jimmy and Cindy," Mrs. Montey finally called, "you're up."

Cindy pulled up the PowerPoint on Mrs. Montey's computer and it appeared on the projection screen.

"The idea for mechanically functional prosthetics was originally thought of by Matthew Dowerdy in 1967 –" Cindy began their presentation.

"Actually, it was 1968." Jimmy interjected.

"Um, no," Cindy seethed through her teeth as she tried to retain a smile. "The research _I_ did clearly states 1967. So anyway, -"

"Obviously, you have poor research skills." Jimmy smiled, still avoiding her gaze. "In 1968, Dowerdy was –"

"EXCUSE ME, KING CRANIUM?" Cindy lost composure.

"Children –" Mrs. Montey started weakly.

"YOU HEARD ME!"

The class looked around at each other uncomfortably.

"YOU ARE GOING TO ARGUE AGAINST THE STANFROD UNIVERSITY HISTORY PAPER I REFERENCED?"

"YES. YES I AM!"

"YOU BIG-HEADED MORON! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO MUCH SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE –"

"MAYBE BECAUSE I AM!"

"_JIMMY! CINDY!_" Mrs. Montey screeched with a louder voice than what seemed possible for a person her size. Jimmy and Cindy froze at the front of the classroom, realizing what they had just done.

Cindy quickly resumed the presentation in an even tone. After she finished, Jimmy showed the mechanical arm to the class. Luckily, their project was quite impressive. Otherwise, Mrs. Montey would have probably failed them right away.

"I suppose this is my fault." The teacher said as she spoke with the pair after class. "I didn't think you were that serious about your inability to cooperate. I guess the two of you just really don't work well together." With that, she left the classroom.

..^^^..

_I guess the two of you just really don't work well together._

That, of all things, is what echoed through Jimmy's head as he walked home that afternoon. Carl and Sheen accompanied him, talking some sort of nonsense. But Jimmy could only hear one resonating voice in his mind.

_I guess the two of you just really don't work well together._

The moment Mrs. Montey had said it, Jimmy wanted to correct her. But, he realized, she was right in what she meant. He and Cindy didn't work well together. At all. He had his chance as she stood there working on that robotic arm. He could have complimented her. He could have admitted he didn't know what was wrong with it. But it was so much more comfortable to revert back into his old habits.

Oh, he hated her so much. So much that he could not bear it. So much that he wanted to explode.

"Hey Jimmy," Sheen tapped his shoulder, "do you like Cindy?"

"WHAT? HEY! WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THAT? WHAT ON EARTH WOULD LEAD YOU TO THAT CONCLUSION? IT'S RIDICULOUS! RIDICULOUS I SAY!" Jimmy flailed about nervously.

"Um, okay Jimmy…I only wanted to know if you'd ever ridden your _bike_ went it's _windy_." Sheen backed away slowly. "And _I'm_ supposed to be the spastic one." He noted, followed by a twitch of his eye.

"Oh, um, no. Not really." Jimmy replied quietly.

They arrived at Jimmy's home. Jimmy's eyes lingered on the pink house across the street.

"You guys go ahead. I'll meet you in the lab." Jimmy pretended like he was going to get something from inside his house, but as soon as Carl and Sheen were in the lab, Jimmy walked over to Cindy's house.

He rang the doorbell. As he waited for a response, he let his thoughts wonder.

Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said that the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. Perhaps this explained that prickling feeling on the back of his neck that he had right now as he waited to apologize to his arch enemy. Maybe…maybe he actually –

The door swung open, revealing a fuming Cindy Vortex. She stepped forward and slapped Jimmy across the cheek as hard as she could. He plummeted to the ground.

"That's for making me get a FREAKING B+ on a project!" She slammed the door. Jimmy groaned with pain.

He didn't know if he loved Cindy. Heck, if he did, he must be insane. However, he definitely knew that he hated her.

**A/N: I apologize, because I know this chapter was a bit mushier than the other two. But this is like the TV series, and they did throw in mushy episodes every once and a while. Plus, I did want these episodes to have a focus on Jimmy and Cindy. They are one of my favorite things about the series! Also, sorry about being whiny for reviews in my author's note last chapter! I just really love reviews! So THANK YOU SO MUCH if you did review. If you didn't I still love you for reading! And you can still review this time, eh? :) Anyway, please let me know if you think this was completely out of character. I kind of like flipping around the J/C dynamic to focus on Jimmy's crush (because we normally see more Cindy crushing on the show). I was thinking to continue this throughout the series with Jimmy liking her, but having no clue how to handle it. Let me know what you think!**


	4. Not Another High School Dance Chapter!

Jimmy rolled his eyes when he opened the small blue envelope in homeroom that morning. Honestly, he thought, the PTA should know better. They put gratuitous amounts of glitter in envelopes and then give these envelopes to teenagers? The halls of this school would be sparkling like the Artemis Galaxy (known for its vast amount of stars) before the end of second period.

Jimmy gingerly pulled out the slip of paper in the envelope attempting not to pollute his desk with glitter. _You are invited to the Retroville High School Homecoming Dance! Tickets will be sold during lunch periods for five dollars._ Jimmy's thoughts immediately went to the blond girl from across the street. He quickly shook his head and dismissed it. Even if he did like Cindy, which would be a tragedy in itself, never would he degrade himself by attending a juvenile congregation such as a Dance. What was advertised as a night to simply dress up and socialize was only an excuse for loud, uncouth music and provocative dance movement to relieve adolescent hormone pressure. Now, a Nobel laureate celebration – _that _was a Dance. Jimmy was patient enough to wait for that.

The bell rung and Jimmy tried to place the invitation neatly back in the envelope. He was successful, and he proudly grinned as he strutted out of the classroom. However, as soon as he exited the door –

"HEY JIMMY! CHECK IT OUT! EUTRIDIAN MONGOL DUST! JUST LIKE IN EPISODE 228!" Sheen shouted as he tossed the glitter up in the air, showering Jimmy.

"Auugghh! Sheen! It's just glitter!" Jimmy sighed in exasperation as he tried to wipe the sparkling specks off himself to no avail.

"Oh. WELL IT STILL LOOKS COOL!" He smiled widely.

"I beg to differ." Jimmy mumbled.

"It's okay, Jimmy. _I _think it looks _pretty_." Carl said as he admired his own glitter coated skin. Jimmy and Sheen stared at him in confusion. "WHAT? There's nothing wrong with being a beautiful man!" Carl shouted defensively.

"Oh, whatever. I'll see you guys at lunch. I shouldn't be late to AP Lit."

Jimmy walked into Mrs. Hethern's classroom and was pleased to see Cindy Vortex covered in glitter as well. She had her back turned while she was fishing through her backpack. Jimmy sauntered up behind her.

"Hey there, _Tinkerbell_. A little too much fairy dust?" Jimmy said mockingly.

"For your information Dweebtron, your idiot friend Ultra Dork did this to me –" she turned to look at him. "And obviously to you as well, Peter Pan. You look like quite the dainty little lost boy." She smiled evilly.

Despite his annoyance, Jimmy felt his neck warming once again at the sight of her shimmering face. He stared directly at once speck of glitter that sat on the tip of her nose, currently wrinkled in her contemptuous smile. Noticing he was taking too long to respond, Jimmy did the most mature thing he could muster and stuck out his tongue. Cindy returned in kind and Jimmy took his seat next to her. Throughout the class, he and Cindy passed insulting notes. She remarked about his "shining" intellect, and he noted her "sparkling" personality.

Jimmy found himself having fun devising new insults concerning glitter and reading what Cindy wrote. This was their friendship at its best. They weren't mocking each other to hurt feelings; they were playing a game. Jimmy caught himself thinking about how in some ways Cindy was his closest friend. Sheen could never keep up like this without getting distracted. Carl would take this too seriously and get his feelings hurt. At the end of the period, he and Cindy walked out together bursting with laughter.

"I have to give you credit, Jimmy. The one about the glimmering phosphate solution was pretty good." Cindy grinned.

"Yeah, the one you wrote about thermodynamic visual illusions was actually kind of amusing." Jimmy smiled back and she punched him on the arm lightly.

"Kind of? Please, you know I smoke you at humor." Cindy said, a slightly defensive tone in her voice.

"Who said that? You just said I was funny."

"Yeah, _sometimes_."

"Well, _I _don't think _you're _that funny."

"Right, Neutron. You wouldn't know humor if it ran in front of you naked."

"Actually, my identification skills are _quite_ superior –"

"Oh, REALLY?"

"YES!"

"I BEG TO DIFFER!"

_Right_, Jimmy thought to himself, _this is why Cindy and I aren't BFFs._

..^^^..

"Jimmy, are you going to the dance?" Sheen asked quietly, looking over at Cindy and Libby with paranoia. He leaned over to Jimmy, not an inch from his face.

"Um, _no_." Jimmy pushed Sheen back. Sheen cupped his hand to Jimmy's ear.

"_DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HELP ME ASK LIBBY_?" Sheen whispered obnoxiously loudly. Cindy heard and glanced over to Jimmy, her eyebrow raised. He shrugged in response.

"Why can't you just ask her by yourself? I've got a lot of experiments to test right now –" Jimmy started.

"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?" Sheen shouted and grabbed Jimmy's shirt. The entire cafeteria went silent and turned to look.

"Okay, okay!" Jimmy quickly pushed Sheen off him for the second time.

"YES!" Sheen jumped in excitement, but ended up falling off his chair.

..^^^..

"Okay, Sheen. Just walk up and ask her." Jimmy pushed his friend forward in the Candy Bar that Friday.

"But Cindy's over there!" Sheen gestured to the table where Libby sat. "Cindy's SCARY!"

"What? Please Sheen, Cindy Vortex is as frightening as a medium pH level substance reacting with H2O." Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I don't know what that was, but it still sounded scary to me." Carl said, standing next to Jimmy. "And Sheen's right, Cindy is kind of scary."

"Ugh. Just go over there and ask! The calming serum I gave you should help with your nerves anyway. You'll be fine. Cindy doesn't bite." Carl and Sheen looked at Jimmy. "…often. Cindy doesn't bite _often_."

"C'mon, Jimmy! You said you'd help!" Sheen fell to his knees.

"I did help! I gave you the serum! I told you what to say! _And _I drove you here."

"PLEEEEEEEEEASE!"

"OKAY, OKAY!"

Jimmy walked over to the girls' table thinking of a way he could distract Cindy.

"Hey Libby," he waved. "and _Cynthia_."

"Hey Jimmy." Libby smiled cordially.

"What do you want, Geektron?" Cindy sneered. Jimmy gave himself props for calling her Cynthia. That definitely worked.

"I just wanted to remind _Cynthia_ here that I am still the reigning high score holder on the Space Invaders game." He gestured to the tattered video game that was hooked up in the corner.

"Big whoop, Neutron. I haven't played that game in years."

"And I'm reminding you. I've been champion for _six years_." He smiled smugly.

"Hmph." Cindy got up begrudgingly. "Libby, watch my ice cream." She passed the cone over to her best friend.

_Success_, Jimmy thought. He followed Cindy over to the old Space Invaders machine. When she had her back turned, Jimmy motioned to Sheen.

"Hey there, Lib-o-matic." Sheen said as he strolled over to Libby's table.

"Sheen, I thought we discussed the nicknames for the last time –" Libby rolled her eyes.

"SILENCE! I have something important to ask." Sheen smoothed his hair back. Libby smiled reluctantly.

"Yes, Sheen?"

Sheen shuffled around as he rolled up his sleeve. He held out his arm so he could read the writing there.

"I was wondering if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to Homecoming. It would be a joy to spend an evening with such an" Sheen squinted down at the writing as he tried to pronounce the word correctly. "ill-us-tree-us beauty as yourself."

Libby smirked.

"Did Jimmy write that for you?"

"NO! Well…maybe." Sheen looked down at his feet. Then he took in a deep breath and looked at her. "Listen, Libby…do you want to go to Homecoming with me?" he smiled hopefully.

"Sure, Sheen." Libby beamed.

"SCORE! I mean, yeah, babe. Pick you up at 8." Sheen tried to walk away coolly, but he slipped on a dropped sugar packet.

Libby laughed quietly to herself. Loud yelling started coming from the other end of the Candy Bar. Libby looked over to see Jimmy and Cindy screaming at each other about something that was probably over Libby's head, yet still completely ridiculous. Six freaking years. Libby wasn't sure she could put up with the antics much longer. She loved Cindy, but _man_. Six _freaking_ years. She walked over to them.

"EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, NERDTRON! IT'S A VIDEO GAME! IT'S ALL HAND-EYE COORDINATION AND THUMB DEXTERITY!"

"EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY HAS _EVERYTHING_ TO DO WITH IT! YOU HAVE TO FIRE THE LASER AT THE CORRECT ANGLE AND ACCELARATION OF YOUR VEHICLE!"

"_GUYS! _SERIOUSLY!" Libby stepped in between them. "SHUT. UP. C'mon, Cin. We're going to my house." She grabbed Cindy's arm and dragged her out of the Candy Bar. Sheen and Carl walked up to Jimmy.

"I told you she was scary." Sheen nudged Jimmy with his arm. He huffed in response.

..^^^..

"I can't believe you agreed to go with Ultra Freak. You know, he spilled glitter all over me on Wednesday. _That_ is what you're bringing to homecoming." Cindy said as they walked to Libby's house.

"Well you're not bringing anything. You don't even have a date." Libby smiled.

"That's because I'm not going."

"What? Girl! I can't go by myself with Sheen!"

"Then go with Britney and" Cindy snorted, "_Butch_."

"EW, no! Gross! They'll just make out the whole time and it still freaks me out they're even dating!"

"I know, right?" Cindy smiled and Libby laughed.

"But, seriously, girl. I need you there. C'mon! For your best friend?" Libby put on the most pitiful face she could muster.

"Oh, fine. But who am I taking? I don't want to be an awkward third wheel. Especially not with Ultra Loser."

"Well I assumed you'd take Jimmy."

"HA. HA. HA. Really funny."

"I'm serious. He's good friends with Sheen. And besides, what other guys do you know well enough to ask?" Libby stared pleadingly. Cindy tried to stare back angrily, but lost gusto. After a moment, she spoke.

"You're seriously making me do this?"

"I owe you. Big time."

"Darn right you do." Cindy folded her arms.

"Yay! Best friends!" Libby said in an overly happy tone and she hugged Cindy. Cindy blew the hair out of her face angrily.

..^^^..

"Thanks for the help, Jimmy." Sheen said as he, Carl, and Jimmy walked to the lab.

"I would say no problem, but that would be lying." Jimmy glared at Sheen.

"Hehe, um, so now would probably not be a good time to ask you if you could come to the dance too? For moral support?" Sheen looked hopefully at Jimmy.

"There is never going to be a good time to ask me that. I told you before. I'm not going."

"C'mon Jimmy! You could take Cindy!"

Jimmy felt his neck burn.

"Um, _NO_. Never, EVER, in a million years. Besides, didn't you just say she scares you?"

"Yeah, but she obviously doesn't scare you. I mean, all you do during lunch is stare and stare and stare at her –"

"I DO NOT. I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT." Jimmy blushed furiously. Carl laughed into his hand and high-fived Sheen.

"Whatever, Jimmy." He spat out between laughs. "But really, I need your help. I can't do this alone!"

"Why can't you just take Carl?" Jimmy gestured at his allergy-prone best friend.

"Because, Carl can't take anyone. It's not like his so-called 'girlfriend' can fly from Sweden to go to the dance. And he can't take your mom."

"ELKE AND I STILL HAVE A RELATIONSHIP! AND I HAVE TOLD YOU, _SHEEN_, I LIKE JIMMY'S MOM'S COOKIES!" Carl shouted defensively.

"Whatever. And he can't go alone with us. I will not play Llamas and Ladders with Libby ever again." Sheen crossed his arms and Carl stuck out his tongue.

"You're going to have to find someone else Sheen. I have to test these experiments –"

"I'll test them for you!" Sheen begged.

"Hmm…Well, I did need someone to test out my Anti-Gravity Peanut Butter… and Carl is allergic…"

"YES! YES! I'LL DO IT!" Sheen jumped up and down and raised his hand.

"Alright. But I'm only taking Cindy for you! My feelings for her are purely platonic."

"Whatever you say, dude." Sheen smiled.

..^^^..

On Saturday morning Jimmy walked out to ask Cindy to the dance. He was simultaneously angry, excited, nervous, and ashamed. Together, it all felt nauseating. Just as he approached the street, he heard the grating voice he both liked and loathed.

"Hey! NERDTRON!"

Cindy Vortex was on her front steps. She had her arms crossed and she looked furious. Jimmy looked up at her and nearly vomited. The woman of his nightmares.

"Hey Cindy." Jimmy gulped painfully. "I was just coming over to –" Jimmy crossed the street and Cindy walked down to meet him.

"Whatever. I have something to say first. Libby is my _best_ friend. And she wants me to go to the dance with her. There's no one else to ask, so you're coming with me. We'll go down with this ship together. Here are the rules: No touching. No blatantly fake compliments about 'how I look'. And definitely _no_ slow dancing." Cindy glared at him.

"Oh. Well, that's actually…quite convenient."

Cindy looked completely dumbstruck.

"Do I need to reset the Brain Drain helmet for you again? Because the first time was enough. The second time it was ridiculous. I'm not doing this for a third time –"

"No! Sheen told me to go with him too. I was just coming over…" Jimmy paused and held back the disgust, "to ask you."

"Oh. Well. Okay, then."

The both of them shuffled awkwardly for a minute or so, not looking at one another.

"You can pick Libby and me up at her house." Cindy blurted out uncomfortably.

"Okay. Eight o'clock?" Jimmy rubbed his arm uneasily.

"Yeah."

They stood there in silence again; this time it seemed like an eternity.

"Well, bye." Jimmy muttered.

"Bye."

Both of them turned and walked to their respective houses. Jimmy was surprised to find himself smiling as his neck simmered. Statistically, the neck-warmth anomaly had not been associated with happiness.

..^^^..

The next Saturday, Jimmy and Sheen pulled up to Libby's house in the hovercar at 8:02.

"You're late, Neutron." Cindy, though dressed elegantly, still managed to look like she could pummel Jimmy into the ground.

Jimmy would have rolled his eyes if he could have moved them. He was stuck mindlessly gawping at the person he hated most. He wasn't exactly sure what she did to herself to make her look like that, but whatever it was it worked. He caught a faint smell of Amino Acid. There was a voice in Jimmy's head telling him to look away or at least say something. However, all mobile and vocal skills had temporarily left him.

Cindy didn't notice. She and Libby climbed into the hovercar clumsily, attempting not to mess up their shoes and dresses. Libby sat next to Sheen in the back. Jimmy heard them exchanging pleasantries and complimenting each other. Cindy plopped down angrily on the seat next to him in the front.

"Let's get a move on, King Cranium." She folded her arms.

Jimmy snapped out of his mesmerized state and started the hovercar. They whisked over Retroville feeling the cool October air rushing over them. Sheen and Libby talked in the back. Jimmy and Cindy said nothing. Jimmy tried to focus entirely on the road, but he noticed Cindy holding herself tightly.

"Do you want my jacket?" Jimmy asked quietly.

"I don't need your stupid jacket."

A cold gust of wind hit them as they flew over the park.

"Okay, give it to me." Cindy stuck her hand out. Jimmy slid his jacket off and handed it to her. She grabbed it without looking at him. Jimmy held back a chuckle.

They arrived at the dance and walked in the gym. It was decorated to look like a classy black and white theme, but Jimmy could still see the rafters up above where Butch had put his underwear on Thursday during P.E.

They started out by standing in their group and talking. Eventually, Sheen was asking Jimmy for advice as Cindy and Libby talked in the bathroom. Soon enough, Sheen and Libby were out on the dance floor slow dancing while Jimmy and Cindy stood awkwardly off to the side sipping the complimentary Purple Flurp.

"Why did we even have to come? They're doing just fine on their own." Cindy pointed angrily at Sheen and Libby as the swayed to another slow song.

"I don't know. Sheen probably only asked for a ride. He can't pass his driver's exam." Jimmy looked at Cindy and smiled.

"Really?" Cindy snorted.

"Yeah, he gets too distracted." They both laughed for a minute and then sat in silence once more. Jimmy, feeling like it was one of the rare moments when they were actually good friends, looked over at Cindy earnestly. "So…How are you?"

"Fine, I guess. College applications are stressful."

"I wouldn't be too concerned about our acceptances." Jimmy smiled. Cindy smiled back too, and whether or not Jimmy realized it himself, she knew he had just complimented her. "Have you thought about what you want to major in?" he added.

"Yeah, I was thinking philosophy. I want to be a lawyer –"

Jimmy fought hard not to spit out the Purple Flurp he was drinking. He managed to swallow it before registering his shock.

"The liberal arts, Vortex? Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. I think my particular set of skills would lend themselves perfectly to becoming a lawyer." Cindy crossed her arms.

"Cindy, everyone knows the most rewarding careers are in scientific discovery! And though you may not be as skilled as I am, you're still pretty good with it. Where do you want to go? You can still –"

"Okay, first of all, put a pin in your ego balloon. Second, thank you for the veiled compliment. Third, this is _my _life."

They looked away from each other and stood in silence once more. Jimmy found himself panicking. He hadn't thought about where Cindy was going to college. He had always seen her right behind him, competing and arguing with him all through college. But he was going to a technical college, definitively. Now she was saying she was going to a liberal arts school. There was something…not okay with that.

"So how're martial arts?" Jimmy changed the topic.

The rest of the dance went by quickly for Jimmy. He and Cindy actually had a real conversation unlike they'd had in a _long _time. Sheen and Libby finished up and they all got in the hovercar to drive home. Jimmy and Cindy even talked then while Libby dozed off on Sheen's shoulder in the back.

They arrived at Libby's house. Cindy was sleeping over, so they all got out to say good-bye. Sheen leaned in and kissed Libby good-night. Jimmy and Cindy turned to each other, trying not to look. At that moment, Jimmy looked at Cindy and saw someone other than his arch enemy. He saw the girl whom he had known for half his life, the one who was fearless when they went out on adventures, the one who could match his intellect, the one with the lavender scented hair and amino acid perfume. At that moment Jimmy wished with all his might he could kiss her. Not like he did all those years ago when he kissed the bossy girl from across the street. He wanted to kiss the amazing person who stood in front of him, his only equal.

But he wasn't brave enough.

"Bye Cindy." Jimmy went to turn around to the hovercar.

"I want to go to Harvard, by the way." Cindy said.

"What?"

"You asked where I wanted to go earlier. I want to go to Harvard." She smiled. "Bye Jimmy."

..^^^..

Jimmy sat at his lab computer a few minutes later. He pulled up Google Maps and clicked on directions. For the beginning location he put Massachusetts Institute of Technology – his preferred college. For the destination, he put Harvard University. He pressed enter and scrolled down to the time.

_Approximately 7 minutes_.

Jimmy smiled.

**A/N: Thanks for reading again guys! For any of you that are on IDOJ and know that I was debating whether or not to do the Jimmy/Cindy romance chapter - I didn't. Yeah, I know! This chapter is still relationship heavy! I'M ADDICTED, WHAT CAN I SAY? I wrote another romantic-y chapter and I took that as a sign I should post it. So yeah. But anyone, please let me know in the reviews if you think this is too fast. Also, if you really like the J/C centered thing, let me know too. I might just go completely in that direction if I get enough response. SO REVIEW! NOW! :) Seriously, don't make me use the hypno-ray on you... XD**


	5. Kiss and DON'T Tell OR ELSE

Jimmy was bent over in the corner of his lab working on some modifications for his rocket. He tried to concentrate despite the blaring noise coming from "Rachel's Brother", the latest popular sitcom. Sheen and Carl sat on lawn chairs in front of Jimmy's big screen display computer and caught up on the recent episodes.

"Man! That girl who plays Rachel is HOT." Sheen nearly knocked over his chair as he leaned over to scream in Carl's face. "I bet she'd love to get a taste of ULTRA SHEEN." He flexed his skinny arms.

"OW! Sheeeen! Stop yelling!" Carl said as he rubbed his ears, "I'M TRYING TO WATCH!" He pushed Sheen's chair.

"Rachel and I could sail through the stars, fighting crime and EATING CANDY!" Sheen really fell out of his chair this time.

"Shut up, Sheen!" then Carl said in a softer voice, "Besides, Rachel is _mine_."

Sheen looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds and then burst out laughing.

"Dude, why would she EVER go out with YOU?" Sheen spat out between laughs. "Especially when she could have ULTRA SHEEN!" Sheen raised his fist, visualizing himself in a gleaming purple Ultra Lord suit.

"Beneath my nerdy appearance and various ailments lies a MAN. A beautiful and sensitive man who knows how to treat" Carl smoothed his hair, "the ladies."

"Back off Carl, SHE'S MINE!" Sheen jumped on Carl and his lawn chair broke. The two began weakly swatting at each other.

"MY SCABULA!"

"Guys! _GUYS!_" Jimmy called out, "Cut it out! I'm _trying_ to work here!" The two paused in mid-fight and sheen pushed Carl off him with a great amount of effort.

"I have to go home now anyway, Jimmy." Carl said, "My mom is making Tofu Surprise. I'd better get there before it's all gone!" he scurried out of the lab.

"_Tofu Surprise_." Sheen groaned. He motioned vomiting. Jimmy smiled.

"Hey, Sheen, do you want to try out one of my latest inventions?"

"I dunno, I'm kind of tired –"

"There's a very good chance it won't work and you'll be electrically shocked."

"WHERE IS IT?"

Jimmy snickered and rolled his eyes.

..^^^..

Jimmy sat in AP Psychology with his hand propping his head up. As the teacher droned on about memory encoding, Jimmy could not have been paying any less attention. The scent of lavender wafted from the blond ponytail just in front of him. He stared shamelessly at the nape of Cindy Vortex's neck. He observed and memorized the pattern of the loose strands of hair that lay there. He imagined how warm that patch of exposed skin would be - a comforting 98.6 degrees. He pictured himself kissing her neck at the inflection point - where it curved slightly…

"JIMMY!"

Jimmy jumped and wiped the bit of drool that was on his chin. Mr. Martin stared at him intently, waiting for an answer to a question Jimmy hadn't heard.

"I'm sorry sir, could you repeat that?" Jimmy asked timidly. Mr. Martin rolled his eyes.

"What does the Forgetting Curve show us about how well we recall over time?"

"Well, it's a negatively sloped exponential curve. This means that we have an extremely high rate of memory just after learning, probably due to echoic memory. However, this fades over time at a rate of –"

"That's good enough." Mr. Martin stopped him and scowled.

Jimmy relaxed in his seat and thanked his lucky stars that he was a genius. Had he not learned a valuable lesson concerning the Forgetting Curve after modifications to the Brain Gain helmet, he never would have known that. How did the masses survive school? What did they do when a smart and pretty blond girl sat in front of them? How did they cope with the scent of her hair? Or the soothing rhythm of her breathing moving her shoulders up and down?

Soon enough, Jimmy's hand supported his head once again and a small trail of drool leaked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Alright. Here's last unit's test." Mr. Martin began passing out the graded papers.

Jimmy quickly awoke himself from his stupor. Cindy whipped her head around and smirked.

"Ready for the acute and painful sting of defeat, Neutron?"

Their cordiality at the dance was forgotten, never discussed; as was the norm with their positive encounters. The old rivalry brewed.

"Please, Vortex. This is a science based class. _My forte, remember_?" He mocked her previous statement from the recent AP Government class.

She glared, but then Mr. Martin dropped her test on her desk.

"97, Neutron. Think you can beat it?" She waved the test in front of him.

"Of course. My test average is a 99.78773. Statistics tell me that I've most likely –"

Mr. Martin dropped Jimmy's test on his desk. Cindy took one look and beamed. Jimmy, however, felt as if he were sinking into a cold and desolate ocean.

"A NINETY-SIX? Mr. Martin, I'm sure there's been a mistake –"

"Maybe if you had paid attention in class, you would have realized _your_ mistakes." The teacher remarked. Jimmy stared at his test with his mouth hanging open. Cindy just laughed.

Something was going to have to be done about this Cindy business.

..^^^..

Jimmy worked furiously over the weekend. He _had_ to make something that would render Cindy completely…not distracting to him. Nothing that would spoil their friendship, of course…if one could even consider their relationship friendly. Just something that would completely do away with the neck warmth anomaly.

Though, it really wasn't so bad…

No, no. It was for the best. His stellar grades were at stake. He mustn't make any reserves.

He fiddled with beakers and test tubes as he wore a heavy duty gas mask. He had brought out an old sample of the love potion and was finally getting to finding an antidote. Though he considered trying to eradicate attraction to the female race ridiculous and naïve now that he was older, this wasn't going to negate his attraction to all of the opposite sex. Just…lessen the _interference_…of one that was particularly distracting. Just Cindy.

Cindy…

The grades. He must remember the grades.

He neared completion of the antidote on Sunday. All he needed now was a sample of DNA. Perhaps a lock of her smooth golden hair…

The grades. The grades. The grades.

Jimmy inhaled deeply as he picked up the phone. He dialed the number that he had stored on his computer (for emergency contact if something went awry on one of their outings, of course! No other reason whatsoever!). The phone rang twice.

"Why are you calling me? I'm not up for switching bodies again." Cindy greeted, causing Jimmy to wince.

"I need you to come test an experiment."

"We've been over this. Just because Llama Boy doesn't care you use him as a personal crash test dummy doesn't mean we're all lab rats –"

"I'll admit you're better than I am at English." Jimmy glanced over to the Hypno-Ray on his lab table. He wasn't sure if using it to erase her memory would be a breach of ethics. But it was necessary. Cindy was silent on the other end of the line and Jimmy could practically hear her brain whirring as she internally debated whether or not to go.

"Why me? Why not Carl? Or Sheen?"

"I…uh…I need a…female subject."

She was silent again. Then he heard her exhale loudly.

"Fine." She hung up and the dial tone sounded.

"Okay," Jimmy said to himself, "the moment of truth. Just remember…the grades…"

His computer flashed to a visual of his security camera. Cindy Vortex approached the clubhouse looking irritated. She walked up to the door and stared at it for a second. Something made her smirk and let escape a chuckle. Jimmy's neck was set aflame. He _hated_ that feeling. It made him feel sick. He reminded himself it would soon be gone. Yet, thinking of its absence…perhaps this was not the _best_ plan…

Cindy knocked loudly.

"NEUTRON! LET ME IN!"

He must think of his grades. He must think of his grades.

He pushed the button and Cindy hurtled toward the floor. She glared at him as she lay sprawled on the ground.

"You'd think you'd at least put a pillow down or something." Cindy seethed. Jimmy ignored her.

"You ready to try it out?" Jimmy gestured to his electronic barber. He had configured it to style girls' hair – it wasn't hard, there had always been that glitch in it that produced a feminine hairstyle. Also, it was the perfect excuse to garner a strand of Cindy's hair.

"You called me over here for a haircut? Why on earth would I want a dippy-haired dweeb to cut my hair?"

"You said you would test it." Jimmy smiled. Cindy smiled back evilly.

"That I did. We had an agreement. And I want to see your end of the bargain held up before I do this."

Jimmy had been hoping the 'you're better than me' confession would be post hair extraction. He might have been able to use the Hypno-Ray early and make her forget they ever had the agreement in this first place. He would have to swallow his pride – quite the large mouthful – for this occasion. There wouldn't be any pride without his phenomenal grades.

"Cindy, do I really –"

"Yes."

He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes tightly.

"You-are-better-than-I-am-at-English." Jimmy spat it out so rapidly, some of his words may have surpassed the speed of light and traveled forward in time.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cindy twisted her hair in mock innocence.

"Cindy, I'm not –"

"Okay, Neutron, see you later." She turned around.

"NO! Wait!" Jimmy shouted after her. She stood there expectantly, her hands on her hips.

"Well?"

"Cindy, I don't see why this is necessary –"

"YOU SAID THAT IF I DRAGGED MY BUTT OVER HERE, WHICH I DID BY THE WAY, YOU WOULD SAY IT!"

"I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAD TO RESORT TO THAT TO GET YOU TO JUST CROSS THE STREET! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING REALLY WRONG WITH YOU VORTEX –"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU CAN'T ADMIT THAT YOU'RE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST! THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SERIOUS ISSUE TO ME!"

"YOU BOSSY, BAD-TEMEPERED, MALICIOUS –"

"YOU SHOW-OFFY, ARROGANT, FREAKISH –"

Cindy was centimeters from Jimmy's face and his entire head was on fire. He could feel the blood rushing in his cheeks and the vein pulsing on his forehead. Through some horrible combination of adrenaline, endorphins, hormones, and an over-active amygdala, he did something _completely_ insane.

"GIRL!"

"BOY!"

He kissed Cindy Vortex.

It was for a second, not even probably. No other parts of their bodies touched except the tips of their lips. Jimmy wasn't even sure if it had actually happened as soon as they parted. He leaned back and Cindy took several steps in the opposite direction.

_Oh crap,_ he thought. _I really did that_.

They stood there in silence, several feet apart, for what felt like an eternity. Both of them had a look of utter fear and disgust on their faces. Cindy was paler than Silicon based solute. Her eyes were wide and painted with disbelief.

"This. _NEVER_. Happened." Cindy stormed out.

Jimmy felt nauseous.

"That did not go according to plan." He mumbled as he clutched his stomach.

..^^^..

Tomorrow was Monday.

Jimmy was fairly sure he wasn't going to school.

He had had some time to think about…whatever it was that happened. And he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Like the warmth on the back of his neck, it both infuriated and, though he hated to admit it, pleased him.

However, he felt Cindy's feelings on the matter would be less ambiguous.

And Jimmy did not feel like being murdered today.

…

Yet, there was that part of him that wanted to see her.

Oh, was he ever stupid. He should have just said it, gotten her hair, and cured himself of this vile curse. He wouldn't have to deal with any of this if he had just done it right. But since when did his ideas ever go according to plan? None of this would have happened.

But he wasn't sure he really regretted…_the incident_…occurring. He had been thinking about…_possible incidents…_over the past few days, more than he cared to admit.

But he _hated_ her. He hated her with ever bone in his body, with every fiber of his being. He hated the way she looked, the way she talked…he _hated_ her.

So it was settled then. He would go to school.

Because he…

…hated her.

..^^^..

At school it was if nothing happened. Like the dance, it was completely ignored. Jimmy and Cindy sat through their many shared classes – very few students were taking six AP classes this semester – and even argued like they did every day. At lunch, no one suspected anything. Cindy and Libby chatted, Sheen and Carl were doing something ridiculous, and Jimmy was bent over doing work. It was a completely normal day.

But Jimmy knew it wasn't normal. He couldn't shove the memory of that slight, tingling touch of her lips. It consumed his thoughts ravenously. If he thought it was hard to concentrate before, now it was impossible. So much for thinking of his grades.

After school, the group of five walked home in animated conversation. But, just as it always did, the group trickled down until only Jimmy and Cindy remained. They had been able to keep up appearances with the distraction of their friends, but now they walked in silence. Normally, this time walking home would be spent arguing about some new scientific discovery or historical fact. Instead, they walked along at opposite ends of the sidewalk, practically in the grass.

Silence had never felt so tangible to Jimmy. The space in between them was a solid force that was immovable, much like a magnetic field between similarly oriented magnets. Jimmy shuffled his hands uncomfortably as they continued. He looked only at his feet, which were having a hard time walking without tripping over each other. They neared the houses.

Cindy turned to him.

This was it. She was going to kill him right there on the sidewalk. Or worse – she was going to talk about _the incident_. Oh, if he had only thought about his grades!

She looked in both directions as if to make sure no one was in earshot.

_Oh God_, Jimmy thought, _she's going to talk about it!_

Cindy grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in close. Their lips met once again, but not as lightly as they had done the previous day. They crashed into each other, two opposing forces crumbling like ancient walls of enemy nations onto the same unforgiving ground. Jimmy's nose was bombarded with smells of lavender and amino acid. His thoughts and being were invaded by Cindy Vortex like an inevitable battle.

She released the fabric of his shirt and pushed him lightly back. She glared at him as if they had just been arguing as usual. She raised a finger and pointed it at him.

"_That_ didn't happen EITHER. Get it? And if you tell ANYONE about this, it will NEVER happen again."

She turned and walked into her house, slamming the door behind her. Jimmy stood there in shock, unable to move his eyes from her door or shake the feeling that he had just gotten an A+.

His lips were _sealed_.

**A/N: So the general consensus seems to be that we want a JC series. And trust me, I am _more_ than okay with that. I have been DYING to do this chapter. I've had most of it prewritten for a while. And for those looking for adventure, don't worry! There will be! I promise! It's just going to be a JC focused adventure, which is everyone's favorite. :) Thanks for reading everyone! Review and I WILL LOVE YOU. ALMOST AS MUCH AS I LOVE JIMMY AND CINDY. ALMOST.**


	6. Operation: Rescue Jet Fusion?

"DRINKING COFEE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE GOOD FOR YOU!" Cindy screamed at him holding her mocha latte in her hand.

"OH YEAH? IN WHAT WAY?" Jimmy retaliated.

"STUDIES HAVE INDICATED DRINKING COFFEE CAN LOWER YOUR CHANCES OF CANCER!"

"CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION, VORTEX! COFFEE CAN'T AFFECT CANCER!"

"IT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT WORKING FOR ME BECAUSE YOU ARE LIKE AN OVERGROWN TUMOR ON MY SOUL!"

All Jimmy had done is point out the _proven_ scientific fact that coffee can decrease metabolism rates. But of course, Vortex had to argue back. Obviously the fact that they had kissed – and twice, for that matter – affected their relationship in no way whatsoever.

"There is more tension between these two than Israel and Palestine, lately." Libby commented to Sheen and Carl as Jimmy and Cindy continued to yell.

"Who's Israel?" Carl questioned.

"And who's Pal S. Stein?" Sheen added.

Libby sighed exasperatedly and rolled her eyes.

"COFFEE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE HYPERTENSION IN –"

All of a sudden, the sidewalk beneath them opened up, sucking them down a tube with various twists and turns. They were spat out onto hard, tiled floor in a darkened room. They all lay on top of each other in a heap, groaning in discomfort.

"Where are we?" Libby moaned in the darkness.

"GET OFF OF ME NERDTRON! WHAT STUPID INVENTION OF YOURS HAS GONE HAYWIRE THIS TIME?" Cindy wriggled out from the bottom.

"OW! CINDY! I DIDN'T DO THIS!" Jimmy also struggled to break free.

"CARL! STOP TRYING TO HOLD MY HAND!" Sheen shouted.

The lights flickered to life as the five of them straightened up. A figure stood on the other side of the room, still shrouded in darkness. It slowly stepped forward and light shone off the bald head and glasses of a familiar face.

"Commander Baker?" Jimmy said, confused.

"Hello, Agent Neutron." He smiled warmly, "And friends. I apologize; I meant only to take Agent Neutron here."

"Well, excellent work, Commander." Cindy said sarcastically.

"I'll ignore that comment for now," Baker said, glaring at Cindy. "Agent Neutron, I have a special mission for you."

"It's been six years since I last did a mission for you. I know I've said this before, but why can't you get Jet to do this?" Jimmy said as he yawned, it was already ten o'clock.

"Actually, that is your mission. Once again, you must rescue Jet Fusion." Baker handed him a GPS already programmed with a location. "Attach this to your hovercar and it should lead you right to Agent X."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?" Jimmy pleaded.

"No. This has gone on for long enough." Baker replied solemnly.

"Gone on for long enough? How long has Jet been –"

Jimmy couldn't finish his question because they were sucked back up the tube and emptied out onto the sidewalk they had been on only minutes before.

"Well, I'll see you guys later I guess. I've got some spy duties to take care of." Jimmy stated cockily.

"Aw! JIMMY! I wanted to be a spy again!" Carl whined.

"YEAH! ME TOO JIMMY!" Sheen jumped up and down.

"Alright, fine." Jimmy shrugged. "As long as Carl doesn't sing the Spy Song."

"But Jimmy –" Carl began.

"That is my condition." Jimmy said staunchly. Carl nodded in defeat.

"We're coming too." Cindy stated, crossing her arms.

"We are?" Libby asked, confused. She pulled Cindy aside. "Why are we going with them? They can handle it."

"What? I've had a thing for Jet Fusion since I was like, eleven." Cindy said hastily.

"Girl, I know you've had a thing for someone since you were eleven, but it ain't for Jet Fusion."

Cindy punched Libby in the arm.

"Alright! We'll go!" Libby conceded as they re-entered the group.

"Are you sure?" Jimmy looked directly at Cindy. "It might be dangerous."

"Please. I eat your kind of danger for breakfast." Cindy met his gaze.

"TO THE HOVERCAR!" Sheen exclaimed.

..^^^..

Jimmy expected the GPS to take them somewhere exotic and dangerous like the Amazon rainforest, or the Rocky Mountains, or the Gobi Desert. Instead, they were on a forty-five minute flight to the suburbs outside of Houston. They eventually pulled up in front of a small blue bungalow with a poorly kept lawn. The gang climbed out of the hovercar.

They began to approach the door warily. Cindy took a karate stance.

"Be careful guys. We don't know what waits inside that door." Jimmy noticed it was open a crack.

"Do you hear that?" Carl whimpered as they got closer. There was a sort of high pitched whining noise coming from inside.

"Yeah…it kind of sounds like –"

Jimmy threw open the door to reveal a disheveled room full of feline creatures.

"- cats?" Libby finished.

"Don't let your guard down! It could be a trap." Jimmy reminded.

"Yeah, for all we know, these are Laser Cats from episode #36!" Sheen added.

They stepped into the entry hall warily, but the cats didn't seem to have any hidden capabilities. A murmur sounded from a room to their left and Jimmy motioned for the group to follow him in that direction.

Jimmy whipped into the room, holding his Hypno-Ray out in front of him. What lay before him was terrifying, but in a completely different way than he had expected.

What seemed to be Jet Fusion lied on the derelict couch in front of the television. He had obviously gained a lot of weight, and his clothes (a white undershirt and basketball shorts) seemed unwashed and filthy. Food covered the couch in forms of potato chips and candy. His hair was overgrown and greasy and his five o'clock shadow had turned into a full beard.

"Jet?" Jimmy said in complete shock and disgust.

"Wha –" The limp body twitched and registered the five teenagers in the room. "Jimmy? Is that you?"

"Um…yeah, Jet. It's me." Jimmy said as he gingerly approached him. "What happened?"

Jet turned away and put his head in his hands as he started crying. Sheen and Carl looked away in revulsion. Cindy stood there and stared blankly at him. Jimmy looked back and forth between his friends and Jet with a look on his face that practically said, _What do I do?_

"Try being a little gentler." Libby suggested.

Jimmy inched toward Jet and put his hand out. He patted Jet's back a few times with a look of utter repugnance on his face.

"There, there." He managed to say.

Jet whipped his head up quickly, his face covered in tears.

"AFTER BEAUTIFUL GORGEOUS LEFT ME, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! FIRST IT WAS THE CATS, THEN THE FOOD... JIMMY, MY LIFE IS A BLACK HOLE!"

Jimmy glanced nervously at his friends.

"Well…we're here to help you, Jet." He patted his back again.

"Maybe you are Neutron, but I'm out. This is the lamest 'adventure' we've been on yet!" Cindy slumped down onto an armchair and crossed her arms. Jimmy glared at her.

"SHE'S RIGHT! I'M HOPELESS!" he began to sob again.

"No, you aren't!" Jimmy stated, lying through his teeth, "You're Jet Fusion! Super spy extraordinaire."

"NOT ANYMORE! NOW I'M JUST A FAT GUY LIVING WITH HIS MOTHER!"

"Wait, you live with your mother?" Sheen said, baffled.

A woman walked in the room from the other door. She basically looked exactly like Jet, but with poufy gray hair and a flowery dress. The effect was rather hideous.

"Oh, Jetty! You have friends over! How nice! I wish you would have told me, I would have cooked up something special. Do you children want cookies?" Mrs. Fusion looked over and Jimmy and his friends.

"OH! I do! I do!" Carl raised his hand.

"Alrighty, then! Be right back!" and she shuffled back into what Jimmy assumed was the kitchen.

"Listen, Jet. You've got to come out of retirement." Jimmy begged.

"WHY SHOULD I? WHAT AM I WORTH WITHOUT BEAUTIFUL?" He continued to weep mercilessly.

"Don't you remember, Jet? Before you even met her, you were the greatest spy on the planet! Not to mention, one of the greatest movie stars on the planet!" Jimmy sat next to him on the couch, trying not to get food on his clothes. Jet seemed to calm down a bit, so Jimmy continued. "You were unstoppable! Not to mention, one of my idols. So obviously, you're worth _something_ without her! At least you're worth something to me." Jimmy gave him the most winning smile he could muster. Jet sniffled a little bit, and then smiled back.

"You're right Jimmy! It's time I turn my life around!" Jet got up and almost fell over. "I'm coming back!"

Jimmy and his friends all cheered, even if it was only because they could go home now.

"Thanks again, Jimmy Neutron. It seems you've saved my life once more." Jet leaned in to hug Jimmy. Jimmy looked away in repulsion and nearly vomited at the stench of the man as he was squeezed. When he let go, Jimmy wiped himself off.

"Alright, gang. Let's go home."

"But what about the cookies?" Carl glanced longingly at the kitchen.

"C'mon, Carl!" Jimmy grabbed his arm and they left.

..^^^..

As they flew back to Retroville, the GPS beeped and Commander Baker's face appeared on the screen.

"Good job, Agent Neutron." He smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"You could have warned me about this! I thought it was going to be a serious mission!" Jimmy complained.

"It was! You have brought our best agent back into the business! Of course…he needs a little time to get back in shape…"

"Seriously, Commander B. This was, like, the most boring and disgusting spy adventure we've ever done!" Sheen complained.

"But, don't you all feel better about having helped a man get back on track with his life?" Baker offered.

"NO!" They all said simultaneously. Baker cringed.

"Well, until next time then, Agent Neutron." He saluted and then the screen returned to its normal GPS capabilities.

"WE'RE SPIIIIIIIESSSSSS! AND WE –"

"CARL WHAT DID I SAY?" Jimmy looked back at him angrily.

"Sorry." Carl stammered, looking down at his feet.

..^^^..

A few minutes later, everyone had fallen asleep except for Jimmy and Cindy. Carl began to snore.

"So, were you planning on doing something about this?" Cindy gestured to the both of them.

"What?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't know if your 'superior' perceptive skills picked up on this, but we kissed a few days ago."

"Keep it down! They could hear us!" Jimmy put a finger to hip lips.

"Please, they're all fast asleep." She looked back at them and then turned to Jimmy. "So, what do you want to do about this?" She looked at him expectantly.

"I don't know!" he said as he shrugged. He was unnerved with this conversation. Where did this come from? She had made no mention of the kisses before now.

"I gave you three days to think about this." She turned away from him angrily. Jimmy looked at her with confusion and frustration.

"I wasn't aware there was a time limit! OR THAT I EVEN HAD ANYTHING TO THINK ABOUT!" Sheen shifted in his sleep at Jimmy's yelling.

"_You're going to wake them up!_" She said furtively in a hushed tone.

"Sorry." He whispered. "So…did you want to go out on a…date or…something…" he asked awkwardly. That wasn't what he wanted. He could barely imagine all the ridicule they'd get from their classmates.

"No, you idiot! Then everyone would find out!"

"I know that!" he defended. Then, something dawned on him. "Wait…are you saying you want to secretly date me?"

"I didn't say anything. You have to ask." She crossed her arms and legs tightly. He could barely process what was happening.

"Are you serious? Did _you_, Cindy Vortex, seriously just tell _me,_ Jimmy Neutron, to ask you out on a secret date?"

"I'm waiting." She glared. He looked at her in disbelief for what seemed like an eternity before he shook his head and tried to think of something to say.

"Do you….um…want to come over to the lab tomorrow?" He looked at her nervously, afraid she may punch him at any given moment. "I'll make sure no one knows about it." Jimmy he added quickly. Her expression and demeanor changed immediately.

"Oh, Jimmy! That's so sweet!" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

She was ridiculous. To command him like that, and then act all innocent…she had to be completely insane. No, _he_ had to be completely insane.

Yet, his cheek burned and he couldn't help but smile. He was unwillingly filled with elation about spending time with his arch rival tomorrow.

Cindy drifted into sleep shortly after. Despite all the anger that she had in her, she actually looked very peaceful in her sleep. And, he hated to admit, she looked beautiful.

..^^^..

Jimmy dropped everyone off to their respective houses. He and Cindy remained in the car until he pulled up at her house. They sat uncomfortably for a moment, not looking at each other. Then Cindy turned to look at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." She smiled genuinely, and Jimmy nearly melted. Oh, puking Pluto! Why did she do this to him?

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." was all he could articulate. A goofy smile adorned his face.

Then, their third kiss. She leaned in and her soft lips met his. Once again, it was different. This was a gentle kiss. To Jimmy, it felt like they were frozen under the night sky in a moment of pure bliss where no fighting or teasing occurred. Absolute heaven.

She leaned back and hopped out of the hovercar, waving to him as he ascended into the air. He waved back and nearly drove into a tree. Even as he crawled into his bed that night, his thoughts were clouded with that kiss. It had been so different, so honest and kind. Nothing like their normal relationship.

_You know,_ Jimmy thought to himself as he drifted off into happy dreams, _maybe Cindy isn't so bad._

**A/N: Hooray! I finally updated! It took me forever to think of a good concept for this chapter...I wrote about three drafts that just weren't any good! But I'm pleased with this, so HUZZAH! And see? A little more action/adventure, right? :) Review, please. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Seriously, I LIVE for reviews. And super thanks to all that have reviewed. I LOVE YOU. See you next chapter for Jimmy and Cindy's date... :)**


	7. Dweeb Date

**A/N: +20 points if you get the other tv show reference in here. :P Also, a little Cindy perspective for you all. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"CYNTHIA! CYNTHIA! GET UP!" Sasha Vortex's voice echoed up the stairs and bombarded the ears of her peacefully sleeping daughter.<p>

Cindy groaned and opened her eyes a smidgen. It was still dark outside. Why did she have to get up this early on a _Saturday?_ She aimed an obscene hand gesture at the door intended for her mother. She then slid back under her comforter, pulling it over her head. Sometimes, she wished she could just stay under the blanket and sleep for a long, long time.

"CYNTHIA! YOU HAVE AN INTERVIEW WITH A HARVARD REPRESENTATIVE TODAY! YOU HAVE TO GET UP!"

Cindy shut her eyes tightly, still under the covers. She felt the heat of her own breath in that enclosed space. She would have to get up. This was Harvard after all. Ugh, but _why_ did her mother have to wake her up before dawn? The meeting wasn't until 10:30! To heck with preparing, she needed the sleep! She was out pretty late last night helping stupid Jet Fusion –

Without warning, the face of Jimmy Neutron pervaded her thoughts. She was filled with many different and conflicting emotions – too many – as she recalled the events of the past few days. It was hard to remember details this early; her mind was still so foggy. Why did her mother have to wake her up at this god forsaken hour? Holy Heisenberg, did she hate mornings –

Did she _really_ just say that? _Holy Heisenberg_?

She definitely needed sleep.

"CYNTHIA! WE NEED TO REHEARSE YOUR RESPONSES!"

"FINE!" she shouted back, punching a pillow.

Cindy threw the blanket off herself angrily. She stomped over to her dresser with her fists clenched in rage while she mumbled about her mother's controlling ways. She got dressed and ready and then descended the stairs to meet her mother. Mrs. Vortex sat at the kitchen table with her hands held together and legs tightly crossed. On the table in front of her lay a paper with various questions that a college interviewer might ask.

"Come sit, Cynthia. Let's begin."

Cindy obediently (but with a very conspicuous pout) went and sat opposite her mother. _Okay_, she thought to herself as she took a deep breath, _just remember, you are a strong, smart girl who is every bit worthy of an Ivy League university. You've got this. You're the best._

"How would your friends describe you?" Mrs. Vortex began.

_Angry. Competitive. Loud._

"Well, I would say caring is the first word that comes to mind. I love all my friends dearly, and I've been told I'm a good shoulder to cry on." _Lies, lies, lies._

"Not good enough, Cynthia. I want multiple adjectives. You must say your friends perceive you as the leader, as the intelligent one, as the most resourceful! But make sure to retain humility. Now, try again."

Why did it seem like the actual interview would be easier to this one? _Maybe because it was FIVE A-FREAKING-M._ Her mother glared at her expectantly. She reevaluated her answer. Leader, smart, resourceful…why did this all sound like Jimmy? That stupid, butt faced, idiot. How dare he be so gifted! So intelligent! So infuriating! So talented and…

Oh my god. She had completely forgotten! She had a date with him today! A rush of elation flowed from her toes upward until she could feel her face flush. All alone with _James_ Neutron, scientist extraordinaire… Would there be more kisses? She wouldn't object to that –

"CYNTHIA! What are you smiling about? Answer the question! Correctly, this time."

"Sorry, mother!" She snapped back into college interview mode. However, she couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face. Stupid Nerdtron.

..^^^..

Jimmy Neutron did not get confused very often. However, he had to admit that he was completely confounded at this particular moment.

In under a week, he has kissed _Cindy Vortex_ thrice. Four times, if you counted her kissing him on the cheek. Jimmy could hardly believe it had happened. The mere fact that he was thinking about this was mind-boggling. And now, on this very day, he had a date with her! What was the world coming to? Had the laws of nature been completely flipped on their heads? Then, the most mystifying part of it all – he was enjoying this! He repeatedly found himself dwelling on their kisses and lately Cindy Vortex had been a frequent visitor to his dreams. He was even excited that they had a date today! Why was he attracted to her? It was inexplicable! She was so…UGH.

He pounded his head on the keyboard in front of him.

"Goddard, what's happening?" He shouted exasperatedly.

Goddard opened his screen display. In flashing, bolded, capital letters, it read:

JIMMY LOVES CINDY

JIMMY LOVES CINDY

JIMMY LOVES CINDY

"GODDARD! BAD DOG!" Jimmy yelled.

Goddard trotted around the room, still displaying the horrifying message. Jimmy chased him furiously.

"GODDARD! I DO NOT! DON'T MAKE ME REWIRE YOUR CIRCUITRY! GODDARD!"

..^^^..

Cindy sat in her room that afternoon. The interview had gone fairly well. She disliked her mother for many reasons, but she supposed she couldn't really begrudge her for this morning. Cindy had been flawlessly prepared. Jimmy was right, though. Getting into college should be easy for them.

Then, the influx of love, hate, and nausea came that followed every one of Cindy's thoughts about the boy genius. She wondered briefly where he wanted to go to college. Not that it mattered. She wouldn't let his location affect her hopes and dreams. No matter what, she was first and foremost her own person.

Still, having him nearby might be nice.

She caught her reflection in the mirror. She was still dressed in business-like clothing for the interview. That probably wasn't normal date attire. She walked over to her closet and skimmed her wardrobe. What exactly did one wear on a date? What about a secret date? In a lab? With a genius? With the boy you'd known for almost ten years?

Cindy decided she wouldn't try too terribly hard. After all, she wasn't about to let Neutron think she liked him that much. She didn't have very many casual clothes, though. _Dress for success, _her mother always said. She supposed this was no different. But what qualified as success in this situation?

She decided on jeans and a green sweater. Simple, but sophisticated.

What time was she even supposed to go over anyway? Neutron never specified. The idiot. Oh well, she'd let him wait for a while. Build up some suspense. Even on the pretext of a date, she couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with him a little bit.

..^^^..

Jimmy sat in his lab, drumming his fingers.

When was she coming? Was she coming at all? Part of him wished she wouldn't. She was so frustrating. Why wouldn't she just come over already? Seriously. He hated her. Why was he even bothering to do this? She was so rarely nice to him. Why did he even like her, anyway? Did he like her? He wasn't sure. Oh gas planets, when was she coming? She was probably taking her sweet time with no reservations about his feelings. She was such a jerk! He definitely didn't like her! Well, he'd stand her up! How stupid would she feel if she got to the lab and no one let her in? Ha! That'd show her!

Jimmy turned to walk away, mumbling about her lack of punctuality.

"Oncoming visitor." Vox's voice echoed through the lab.

Jimmy's head snapped around to the computer display. Cindy Vortex was approaching the lab warily. She frequently glanced around to make sure no one was watching and she hid behind various trees and bushes. She arrived at the door and started knocking. Jimmy recognized the pattern as Morse code.

L-E-T-M-E-I-N-N-E-R-D-T-R-O-N

Only Cindy would insult him in Morse code. Despite her jibe, he felt his neck heat up at the thought of her knowledge of code. Once again, she had proved herself to be the smartest person he knew. It was so maddening! How _dare_ she be so intelligent! Why did she do this to him?

I-A-M-W-A-I-T-I-N-G

He pushed the button to let her in. She fell to the ground mercilessly.

"Oof!" she exclaimed as she hit the floor. "Still? No mattress?"

Jimmy shrugged as she threw daggers at him with her eyes. She finally gave up and crossed her arms as she glanced around the lab. Jimmy wasn't sure what to say. It probably would have been smart to plan something. He'd been too busy arguing with himself about his stupid feelings to think about what would actually happen when the event occurred. Cindy started tapping her foot and she looked over at him expectantly. He began to panic. There had to be something they could do…

"Well, this is all really fun, King Cranium." She snapped.

"Um, yeah, let me just – we could – maybe I can –" Jimmy stammered.

"Do you seriously not have anything planned?"

"I thought maybe you would –"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO INVITED ME!"

"YOU PRACTICALLY ORDERED ME TO INVITE YOU!"

"DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH!"

"OH, I DON'T NEED TO! YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT PLENTY TO SAY!"

They were very close again. For a second, they stood there. Jimmy could feel the heat of her breath on his face. He was reminded of their first kiss a few days ago. Ironically, he couldn't bring himself to kiss her this time on their _actual_ date. He backed away and she did the same. They both shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"You want to watch a movie?" he offered.

"Sure, whatever." She replied jumpily.

Jimmy grabbed his hypercube and set up the couch in front of the big screen display. He went over to his collection of DVDs. _The Merits of Euclidean Geometry_, _String Theory and Other Fascinating Frontiers, The Bill Nye Collection_…he seriously doubted Cindy would be interested in any of this. He picked up _String Theory_, hoping it would be the least objectionable. He inserted it into his modified Blu-ray player. He turned around to see Cindy sitting on the far end of the couch. He froze for a minute.

Where was he supposed to sit? He felt like since this was…well…a date…he should probably sit next to her. Right? But…he _really_ didn't want to. It would be so supremely and enormously awkward. In addition, he was afraid she might punch him.

He grabbed the remote and sat as far away from her as he could while staying on the couch. She glanced over at him, eyebrow raised, but he didn't look up. He hit the play button.

The cheesy background music of the documentary echoed in the lab, highlighting the vast space of the place and the vast space between Jimmy and Cindy. They didn't say a word to each other; they just sat there, staring straight forward at the television.

"ACHOO!" Cindy sneezed.

"Te benedicat." Jimmy responded quickly. Cindy looked over to him in confusion.

"It means 'bless you' in Latin." He informed.

"I know that. You're just such a dweeb." She shook her head.

They went back to anti-social and uncomfortable silence.

About thirty more minutes into the movie, she snatched the remote out of his hand and paused the documentary.

"I'm having a really great time, Jimmy!" she smiled falsely, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, I'm sorry about the movie. I don't think I have anything you'd like."

"No, you idiot! I mean, seriously? Sitting here in silence three feet apart? Some date."

"Yeah, like you would know." He rolled his eyes.

"FOR YOUR INFORMATION NEUTRON, I HAVE BEEN ON PLENTY OF DATES." She blushed furiously with the lie.

"SURE, VORTEX!"

"WHAT? AND _YOU'VE _BEEN ON SO MANY?"

"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"I BET YOU'VE HAD FEWER DATES THAN DR. HOFTSTADER ON THE DOCUMENTARY!"

"DR. HOFTSTADER IS AN EXCELLENT RESEARCH PHYSICIST! I'M SURE HE'S HAD PLANTY OF DATES!"

"RIGHT, LIKE SOME BEAUTIFUL GIRL WANTS TO GO OUT WITH HIM ALL THE TIME!"

"YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE FIND INTELLIGENCE ATTRACTIVE!"

Cindy stared angrily at him for a long time after that.

"His exposition on subatomic particle flow was pretty impressive, I suppose." She conceded and broke off the argument.

"Quite impressive? He's making groundbreaking research. If he can isolate the astute properties of quarks, he might be able to officially prove string theory."

"I think Dr. Cooper will come to it first. He seems a bit more driven." Cindy scooted closer to Jimmy. "What are your opinions? Do you believe in String Theory?"

"I find it to be incredibly plausible. There really isn't concrete proof of anything." Jimmy scooted closer as well. "It would really help with the –"

"application of formulas to large and small physics enigmas. I agree." She finished.

Cindy had barely completed her sentence before they we glued to each other. An agreement, for once. Not an argument. As Jimmy's lips moved furiously against hers, all he could think about was her intellect. She was so vastly intelligent – more than he gave her credit for. Just the thought of those ideas racing through her head, the very same ideas that raced through his, was unbelievably powerful. Jimmy often felt alone in his genius. But right now, there was company, warm and soft against his skin.

"I should probably go home." Cindy interjected an hour or so later. Jimmy sat back down on the couch and looked at her.

"You should probably fix your hair." He laughed seeing her disheveled ponytail. She blushed furiously and quickly went to fixing it.

"Your hair always needs fixing, Fudgehead." She retorted. He chuckled for once at her wit. Then he just sat there and smiled at her.

"What the heck are you looking at, Freak Boy?" She glared at him.

"Nothing. It's just that you're as big of a dweeb as I am."

"Please, Frankenhead. Your pinky has more dweeby-ness than I do."

"Whatever you say…" He rolled his eyes.

"I AM WARNING YOU, NERDTRON!" She started yelling, but she broke into a smile. "I really do need to go." She added softly.

"I…are we…do you think we'll do this again?" he asked tentatively.

"We'll see. If I feel like it." She crossed her arms, but Jimmy could tell that was a 'yes'.

"Well then, before you leave, I was thinking we could set up some parameters for Operation S.U.D.S."

"What?"

"Operation S.U.D.S.- Secret Undercover Dating Sequence. It's what I've decided to call these events, or dates if you prefer. This way we can talk about it without others knowing –"

"See, this is you being a dweeb." Cindy snorted.

"Whatever. I was thinking – since you obviously know Morse code – we could have a code knock. That way I know when it's you if I'm visually distracted and you can knock differently when in the company of others. Also, it'll give me more ample warning time if Sheen and Carl are here."

"I guess that's reasonable. What should the code be?"

"I was thinking you could say 'S-U-D-S' –"

"No, I'm not using your stupid name." She thought for a moment. "I'll do 'D-W-E-E-B-T-R-O-N'. And don't try to argue, it's settled." She said, observing his reaction.

"Fine." He forfeited. So typical of Cindy.

For a moment the awkward silence returned.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later, I guess." She mumbled.

"Yeah."

"Bye, Jimmy."

"Bye, Cindy."

And with that, she turned around and exited the lab.

..^^^..

_Stupid Nerdtron, _Cindy thought as she snuck furtively back to her home. She had a ridiculous grin plastered to her face and it was all his fault! What a goon. What a stupid, moronic, egotistical goon. She tried very hard to keep herself from laughing out loud. Why was she so irrationally happy? All his fault!

She reached the side of her house and used her many years of karate to help her climb up the lattice and into her open bedroom window.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't look half bad for someone who had just covertly gone across the street and had a secret make-out session with the boy there. She smiled at herself. _I am too good, _she thought. The clothes had worked out perfectly. Dress for success? Mission accomplished. Then again, what was she worried about in the first place? Cindy Vortex _always_ succeeded.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: TA-DA! A date! Man, do I love me some JC. Hopefully, you do too. So review if you liked it, please! Also, I was wondering if you all would give me some input. How many 'episodes' (chapters) should I put in a season of this? I was planning on maybe doing multiple seasons, but having a break every certain amount of episodes. I was thinking around 12. And, if that is right, it means the end of the season is nearing. AND YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! TV MOVIE! I was thinking I could make a separate story with multiple chapters of its own for a tv movie toward the end of each season. So, whaddaya think? :D In addition, I'm open to suggestions on episode ideas. So if you've got one, put your idea in the review! It might just end up being an episode!**

**Okay, long spiel over. GO. REVIEW. NOW.**


	8. Hollywood Horror

**A/N: Just in case you are unaware, 'Smallie Big Big' is a fictional rap artist mentioned in the JN episode 'Out, Darn Spotlight'. This will be useful in your fic-reading. :)**

* * *

><p>It was utter insanity. There really had to be something psychologically wrong with both of them. Jimmy didn't think this was a healthy sort of relationship. Yet, it was as if he had consumed some sort of narcotic and he was addicted. Every day, the same thing.<p>

The fighting at school.

"VORTEX, YOUR PERSONALITY IS LIKE A BLACK HOLE!"

"EVEN BLACK HOLES COULDN'T CONDENSE THE HUGE AMOUNT OF MATTER THAT IS YOUR GIANT HEAD, KING CRANIUM!"

Then, just hours later, a patterned knock on his lab door.

D-W-E-E-B-T-R-O-N

Soon she was wrapped around him and his hands groped furiously at her back. Their lips moved violently against each other. Sometimes, Jimmy even felt like their kisses were competitions. Who was better? Who was more in control? The contest was intoxicating.

Then, suddenly, she would have to leave. Karate practice, tutoring, studying for tests, memorizing her lines for the school play, and more. He was astounded one person could keep up with so many things. Just further proof that she was mentally unwell. Yet, he was always sad to see her go.

The whole thing was sickening, wretched, unhealthy, and sadistic. A whirlwind of contrasting emotions, but Jimmy had never been happier. He must be insane, too.

..^^^..

"Attention, comrades!" Jimmy announced as he sat down at the lunch table.

"See, it's when you say dorky things like that. That's why I hate you. Well, one of the reasons why I hate you, anyway." Cindy sneered as she poked her salad with a fork.

"Well, I was only going to ask if you all wanted to join me on an expedition to the lovely Long Beach in sunny California this weekend, but obviously Cindy doesn't want to go anywhere with me…" He turned and began to walk away.

"Did you say Long Beach? As in Los Angeles County?" Libby shouted. Jimmy stopped and faced them.

"Yes. And I have word that your 'Smallie Big Big' will be hitting the beach on Saturday." Jimmy said nonchalantly.

"Cindy! WE HAVE TO GO!" Libby grabbed Cindy's arm and tugged on it violently.

"Alright!" she conceded, if only to get Libby to quit dislocating her shoulder.

"Sheen, Carl? What about you guys?" Jimmy gestured to his best friends.

"LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!" Sheen exclaimed.

"I dunno, Jim…" Carl shrugged, "I get a lot of sunburns…"

"I already located several Llama farms just a few miles inland." Jimmy smiled. Carl beamed and nodded vigorously.

"We're going to meet SMALLIE BIG BIG!" Libby jumped up and down in her seat.

..^^^..

"This was not part of the agreement!" Cindy complained as they flew through the air in the hovercar.

"It's not like we signed a contract or anything! This is _supposed _to be fun, Vortex. Obviously you're incapable of any sort of enjoyment!" Jimmy retaliated. He then turned away quickly, the heat rising on his neck thinking about a different sort of enjoyment that she took part in regularly.

"WHY DID WE HAVE TO LEAVE BEFORE DAWN?" she threw her hands in the air.

"_BECAUSE_, MISS I-CAN'T-BE-HAPPY-ABOUT-ANYTHING, I HAVE TO GET THERE BY PRECISELY SIX O'CLOCK AM TO COLLECT THE ALGAE I NEED!"

"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WERE ONLY DRAGGING US ALONG ON SOME STUPID SCIENTIFIC SHOPPING ERRAND!"

"WELL, _EXCUSE ME_ FOR INVITING YOU TO THE BEACH!"

"GUYS!" Libby exclaimed from the back seat, "Some of us are _trying_ to get a little sleep here!"

"Sorry." Jimmy and Cindy said simultaneously while glaring at each other.

They arrived at the beach just as the sun was rising. It was truly beautiful. They all removed their shoes and ran out onto the soft sand. Sheen quickly attempted the old yawn-then-put-your-arm-around-her trick on Libby. She permitted it, but rolled her eyes. Even so, Libby'ssmile was very apparent. Carl sat down on the sand and gave a ridiculous grin as he cupped his face in awe. Sometimes, Jimmy questioned Carl's sanity. Jimmy himself, however, stood awkwardly next to Cindy. There were a good two feet between them, but the obvious desire to be closer was palpable. They both cast sidelong glances at each other and then looked away quickly, blushing. Libby observed this and made a mental note to needle Cindy about it later. Right now, she had to watch the sky paint itself a canvas of oranges, yellows, and reds.

"You see, a sunset is the result of light refraction in –" Jimmy started.

"SHUT UP, YOU'RE RUINING IT!" Cindy interjected.

And so, they watched in silence as the sun rose and illuminated the beach. When it was over, Sheen managed to snag a kiss on Libby's cheek. She fell over into the sand, laughing. Jimmy and Cindy both noticed the affectionate moment and blushed furiously, clearly imagining the same scene between themselves.

"THE OCEAN CALLS!" Sheen exclaimed. "YOU WILL ALL STAND IN AWE AT THE GLORY OF MY ULTRALORD SPEEDO!" The rest of the group stared at him in disgust.

"Don't worry, I have extra trunks." Jimmy consoled. Cindy let out a sigh of relief.

..^^^..

"Dude, the chicks always take too long to get ready!" Sheen moaned as the three guys stood on the beach in their bathing suits. They really were quite a sight to behold, especially in comparison to the well-toned bodies many of the other beach goers possessed. Sheen was tall and skinny, the drawstring of the trunks Jimmy lent him tied tightly, further accentuating his thinness. Carl wore a llama t-shirt over his chubby figure and his skin was chalk white with all the sunscreen he applied. Jimmy's decision to spend most of his time cooped up in a lab did not lend itself to a very muscular physique, but rather a flabby one with defined tan lines. And of course, as if they didn't feel bad enough about it, Libby approached the group looking like a normal human being.

"Hey guys." She smiled. "Ready to hit the waves, Sheen?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He shouted and they ran off to the water. Jimmy and Carl watched them go.

"I think I need to reapply sunscreen." Carl whined, even though he'd just put it on fifteen minutes ago. He walked over to a shaded area by a tree and began smoothing more of the cream on himself. Jimmy, distracted, did not notice Cindy approach him from behind.

"Nice atom bathing suit." She said in her familiar mocking tone.

Jimmy clenched his fists and turned around to reply, but, of course, the stupid, bossy, angry, girl stunned him into silence.

He should have expected this. He should have been prepared. What did he think she would look like after pursuing martial arts for over a decade? But she snuck up on him! Her fault again! ALL. HER. FAULT.

"Quit drooling over me, Monkey Boy! I think Libby already saw us looking at each other earlier. If she finds out about…you know…what we do…I WILL NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT!" Cindy snapped in front of his face. "NERDTRON!"

He blinked repeatedly.

"NERDTRON!"

"Wha- uh, yeah." He shook his head. Cindy scoffed.

"Get your act together or _I swear_ you will be physically and mentally damaged beyond repair." She huffed and blew her bangs out of her face, then stalked off to the beach.

No. This relationship was definitely _not _healthy.

..^^^..

The name Freak Boy had never been more accurate as Jimmy swam around in the shallow parts of the ocean looking for his algae. He was wearing some kind of high tech gear that looked completely ridiculous. It was like a head piece for braces, but it also included a pair of binocular-looking microscope glasses that gave Jimmy the appearance of some kind of alien.

Cindy stood in the water with her arms crossed, the waves lapping against her abdomen as she stood still and refused to take part in any of the activities of her friends. She wasn't up for being a third wheel in Sheen and Libby's underwater make-out spectacular, neither did she want to go and hide in the shade with Carl as he tried desperately to avoid sunburn. And she was _definitely_ not about to join Nerdtron's freak show.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a high pitched scream broke out.

Cindy whipped around looking for the source, prepared to use her lifeguard skills that she learned in a summer class a few years ago. It was Libby, and she wasn't in any danger at all. In fact, she was wearing a bigger smile than Cindy thought was possible for her face as she jumped up and down in the water.

"IT'S SMALLIE BIG BIG!" Libby pointed to a man wearing sunglasses and copious amounts of gold jewelry. The effect was blinding in the sunlight. Libby ran out of the water leaving a disappointed looking Sheen behind. Cindy decided this would be more fun to watch than just standing in the water, so she followed her friend out, but less enthusiastically.

"Mr. Big! Or…Mr. Big Big? Mr. Smallie? Oh, forget it! Smallie Big Big! I'm a _huge _fan." Libby ran up and shook his hand forcefully. After looking bewildered for a moment, he smiled amiably.

"Always nice to meet a fan." He laughed cordially. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh – I don't know…I didn't think about this! Ha…Sorry…I'm just so air-headed sometimes!" Libby giggled uncomfortably. Cindy rolled her eyes.

"An autograph, maybe?" he offered congenially.

"Yes! Yes, that'd be great! Just let me get something for you to sign!" Libby ran toward her things. By this time, the rest of the group had caught up and were standing around the pop star.

"Hey, you're that kid! Jimmy Neutron, right?" Smallie asked. Jimmy looked puzzled for a moment, then took on his usual air of arrogance.

"Why, yes I am." He stated, standing taller. Cindy sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah, I read about you in 'New Science Monthly'. You contributed to the power generator technology that helps power my house." He shook Jimmy's hand.

"Glad to be of assistance." Jimmy grinned proudly.

"Hey, since you save me so much on my electrical bills, and your friends seems to be a big fan, how would you all like to come over for dinner at my Hollywood mansion?"

Libby was running over with her iPod and a sharpie for him to sign when she heard the last part. She promptly fainted.

"I think you can take that as a yes." Cindy sniggered.

..^^^..

That evening, the five felt severely underdressed as they walked into the mansion in their beach attire. Their flip flops clapped and echoed through the massive entrance hall complete with marble floors and columns.

"Dude, I mean, Mr. Big Big…You're house is almost as good as The Ultra Lord palace on Planet Neptar!" Sheen gasped in awe.

"Thank you…I guess." He laughed. "And feel free to call me Smallie, guys. I'm your host, not your teacher."

"Well, um, _Smallie_, it's a pleasure to be in your home." Jimmy stated politely.

"No, no, I assure you it's _my_ pleasure. The dining room's just through here." He gestured to a large oak door before opening it to reveal a fantastic dining hall with a glass table and crystal chandelier. "Take a seat, everyone."

They all sat down, and Jimmy made careful consideration to sit as far away from Cindy as possible. She was still wearing a bikini top, but now with a skirt bottom…much too distracting. And, if he didn't want Cindy to permanently maim him, he should probably avoid any staring.

"Gustav!" Smallie called, and a man who Jimmy assumed was a butler came in the room. "The special dish for my close friends." Smallie smiled. Gustav nodded and exited quickly.

"So, Mr. Smallie, what's it like being a super cool rapper guy man?" Carl asked, attempting to use popular lingo.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. I'm much more interested to hear about you all." He looked around the table. "Jimmy, what sorts of new gadgetry are you working on now?"

"Well, that is technically copyrighted material Smallie –" But Jimmy didn't finish because their food arrived. It was an elaborate turkey feast, and Jimmy was amazed it could be prepared in such a short time and taste so fresh. Smallie must have the house equipped with the absolute latest technology. He made a mental note to ask to look around later.

"So, your inventions, Jimmy?" Smallie prodded.

"I'm sorry, Smallie, but I just can't disclose that information."

"Oh please, Dweebtron. You have no difficulty telling us about your lame adventures back home – whether we want to hear or not." Cindy mocked.

"Well, this is different…You guys don't have the capacity to mass produce my devices." Jimmy glanced nervously at Smallie.

"Are you saying you don't trust me, Jimmy?" A flash of anger crossed his eyes.

"Well, we've only just met…" Jimmy said softly.

"So it turns out, you're right not to trust me." He grinned sinisterly. "But you're going to tell me whether you like it or not."

"Excuse me? I don't –" Jimmy yawned, "think that you'll be…" his vision began to blur until he passed out, fast asleep on the luscious rug.

..^^^..

Jimmy woke up in an ornately decorated bedroom. Once he remembered the recent events, he rushed to the door only to find it locked. He struggled with the door in vain for a few seconds. The TV in the corner turned on to reveal Smallie's face.

"Good morning, Jimmy." He smiled wickedly. "I trust you slept well. The anesthetics in the turkey should have made sure of that. Now, here's the deal 'homie'. I'll give you twenty-four hours to write down the plans for your latest and greatest inventions," Jimmy looked over to the desk in the room to see it supplied with the materials needed, "or you'll never see your friends again. Thank you for your cooperation." The screen went to black.

Jimmy stood in shock for a moment before his brain went to working on a solution for this problem. He could feel his Shrink Ray (which he had been using to minimize algae for storage) still in his pocket. He glanced down at his wrist to see that Smallie had not been wise enough to his high tech watch. Obviously not an experienced villain. He activated the laser and busted the lock on the door. Then, he pushed through and quickly hurried down the hall. Where was he? Where was he going? The house was a giant maze. It was going to be extremely difficult to find his friends –

He heard a muffled voice that sounded like it was coming from the floor below.

"WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE YOU OVERRATED, BADLY-DRESSED FREAK, I WILL HIT YOU SO HARD YOU'LL NEED BRACES FOR YOUR GRILLS!"

That was Cindy alright.

He quickly ran to the grand staircase and descended to the bottom floor of the house. Cindy's voice was getting clearer. He hoped Smallie couldn't hear his steps as they echoed in the open space. He started down a narrow hallway with much more medieval decoration. That's when it hit Jimmy – this was a dungeon.

Cindy's voice grew louder and louder until he reached the door it was coming from.

"I HEAR YOU OUT THERE, YOU WUSS! COME IN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A REAL MAN!"

"Shhh! Cindy, it's me." Jimmy called inside.

"Jimmy! Thank God you're – I mean, get me out of this!"

Jimmy used his laser watch to open the latch again. He walked in to find Cindy tied up in shackles. In her bikini, she reminded him vaguely of Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode – NO. He could not get distracted _now_. He undid her chains with the laser and they rushed out together.

"Do you know where Carl, Sheen, and Libby are?" Jimmy asked.

"Not specifically, but I'm pretty sure they're in these cells somewhere. Let's split up and look." They each went in a different direction, knocking and calling into doors for the rest of their group. In a short amount of time, they had used the laser to free everyone out of their shackles and were running out of the dungeons.

"Not so fast." Smallie stood at the foot of the grand staircase waiting for them. "See these?" he raised his hands, revealing some sort of high tech gauntlets. "One punch from these and you'll be less real than imaginary numbers!"

"I don't think so!" Jimmy whipped out his Shrink Ray, set it to ant size, and aimed it at Smallie. It hit him square in the chest, and as he grew smaller, his gauntlets became too large and fell off.

"Not a lot of need for the 'Big Big' part of your name now, _Smallie_?" Cindy taunted.

"I WANNA GO HOME NOW!" Carl cried.

..^^^..

After calling the police and having Smallie arrested, the gang flew home to Retroville in the hovercar.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, FRANKENHEAD!" Cindy continued to complain about their experience.

"ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS HAVE A NICE TIME ON THE BEACH! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW SMALLIE WAS EVIL?"

"IT WAS ONLY YOU HE WANTED! ERGO, YOUR FAULT!"

"LEAPIN LEPTONS, VORTEX! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU JUST _SHUT UP_!"

Cindy quieted immediately and gave him a death glare. If looks could kill, her stare would be more lethal than Smallie's gauntlets.

"Hmpf." She turned from him and sat in the back, something she never did. Libby moved up to take her place.

"Not the right thing to say, Jimmy." Libby shook her head.

Jimmy was a little bit concerned he'd gone too far. But, c'mon, he'd only told her to be quiet. She'd said much worse things to him in the past! What a melodramatic, typical woman!

Still, he did feel badly. He didn't want Cindy's feeling to be hurt…Well, actually, he did. A lot of the time. But not _really_. Only the harmless jab here and there…

When it was just Jimmy and Cindy left in the hovercar, he tried to talk to her before she went inside her house. She blatantly ignored him and left the vehicle without a word. Jimmy flew home.

That afternoon, Jimmy spent about an hour despairing about what to do with Cindy. On one hand, he thought she deserved it. On the other…she was kind of his…girlfriend now, wasn't she? What a strange thought. He decided to call her – on her cell phone of course, her mother could never know about their secret relationship.

It rang for several long minutes before going to the message machine.

"This is Cindy Vortex. If it rang and I didn't pick up, it probably means I don't want to talk to you. So don't bother leaving a message."

BEEEEEEEEEP.

He left a message anyway, explaining that he was sorry. He said how he was actually surprised to find himself genuinely sorry for it. How it actually did bother him when her feelings were hurt, despite their history.

He then plopped down on his lab chair and sighed. After what seemed like an eternity, a knock sounded on the door.

D-W-E-E-B-T-R-O-N

Jimmy grinned stupidly.

**A/N: Thanks for all the input, guys. I really appreciate it. I LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ROCK! I'm gonna go with 12 episodes per season and a TV movie. I'm excited to see what you guys thing about this chapter, I had a good time writing it. :)**


	9. Definitions

**Warning: This chapter gets a little serious. Just a little heads up. :P**

* * *

><p>Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen were sprawled on the floor of the lab, a dazed look in their eyes. It was a lazy Saturday and it seemed like their normally adventurous lives were lacking some of the usual excitement. Carl hummed quietly to himself, Sheen played with a piece of fuzz he found on the floor, and Jimmy fiddled with a Rubik's cube. After a good twenty minutes of this, Sheen sat up.<p>

"Guys, I have a question." He asked, fiddling with his newest Ultra Lord t-shirt.

"Sheen, Ultra Lord isn't real. We can't track his coordinates down –" Jimmy began, still bored.

"No, like, a serious question, dude." Sheen shifted awkwardly.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way…" Jimmy mumbled under his breath as he sat up. He faced Sheen. "What is it?"

"Well, what's going on between me and Libby?" He asked with embarrassment.

"I would think you would know better than I, Sheen. I'm not the one dating her." Jimmy said.

"So, we're dating? Sometimes I get confused… Like, we'll do all this super EPIC making out –"

"EW! Sheen! Don't say any more!" Carl said, sticking out his tongue.

"Fine! But, we'll do that, and then sometimes it's like we're just friends… Jimmy, you're smart! TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING! I'M SO CONFUSED!" Sheen plopped back down on the floor in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, Sheen. But I'm no more adept at defining a relationship than you are." Jimmy lied back down as well.

Jimmy pondered his statement. _That_ was certainly true. What in Einstein's name were he and Cindy? Obviously nothing 'official' since it was not disclosed to the public. Though, he had always thought the official-ness of relationships to be a little ridiculous. What was the point?

Then again, what _was_ Cindy to him? His enemy? His friend? His rival? His… _girlfriend_? Weird. Positively mind-boggling. None of the words seemed to fit. Maybe she was just… his. Just _his_. That sounded better. Though, it did seem a bit possessive and primitive… He dismissed it. Over these past few weeks with Cindy he had learned not to over-analyze his feelings.

"JIMMY!" Sheen yelled.

"Huh?" he shook his head back into reality.

"I asked you a question: What do you think I should do?" He looked over hopefully.

"OH! I KNOW! I KNOW! Take her to the petting zoo!" Carl squealed excitedly.

"NO! CARL! I'm not taking Libby to see the stupid llamas!" Sheen crossed his arms.

"Well, I don't know, Sheen… maybe you could ask her out on a real date?" Jimmy offered.

"Do you think that would work?" He asked, skeptical.

"Well, think of it as an experiment in which we test for results. Any results, even negative ones, still give us data. Now, the independent variable would be –"

"AHHH! Jimmy! It's the weekend! Thinking hurts!" Carl covered his ears.

..^^^..

Jimmy attempted to weave his way through the hallways of Retroville High School the following Monday. As if his _slightly_ less than average height didn't impair him enough, he also had to carry a massive pile of books perched precariously on his arms. On the bright side, he might actually gain some more arm muscles as a result of all the massive AP textbooks he had.

He heard a familiar laugh and his neck immediately burned. It was amazing, really – the phenomenon seemed to have worsened over time. Now just the sound of her voice or the glimpse of a blond ponytail would cause that raise of heartbeat and that sinking feeling. It was terrifying, but again Jimmy decided to ignore these feelings. But maybe that was because he actually liked it a bit…

NO. DO NOT GO THERE.

JIMMY NEUTRON IS NOT A WOMAN.

HE WILL NOT STOP AND EVALUATE HIS FEELINGS.

But he would glance over to see the origin of Cindy's laughter.

She stood over by her locker talking to some guy, whose name Jimmy believed to be Henry, from their AP Biology class. He was talking and wearing a stupid smile. Cindy laughed at whatever idiotic thing he was saying (well, Jimmy was sure it was idiotic), and she twisted her hair absent-mindedly.

The first thought that went through Jimmy's mind was that this was UNACCEPTABLE.

He was about to march over there and do something to the guy (well, nothing physical… but he was sure an AP textbook would certainly hurt enough if dropped on one's foot), when he realized that he didn't have a reason. This _Henry_ character didn't know about their…the… Operation S.U.D.S. And Cindy had to keep up appearances! That's why she was flirting back!

Was he really sure she was flirting? Maybe she –

NO. That doesn't matter. The point was she had no obligation to him not to _flirt_ with others. Besides, who could she possibly be attracted to more than Jimmy Neutron? He _was _the smartest guy of the decade, at least. So, she was only flirting with that _imbecile_ to keep up their farce.

At least, that's what he told himself.

..^^^..

Sheen meandered happily to his locker after the school day ended. An eighty-four on a math test? CHA-CHING. Ultra Lord would indeed be proud. He opened his locker by giving it a good kick. He had forgotten the combination months ago.

Alright, what did he need to bring home…

Math book? Nah. He'd do that homework at lunch.

Chemistry binder? Nope. Mrs. Kennels hardly ever checks the workbook pages.

His limited edition Ultra Lord Lunchbox featuring the battle against Robofiend in episode 227? DEFINITELY.

What else did he need to do…? OH RIGHT! Libby! Sheen peeked around the door of his locker to look down the hall. The glorious goddess herself stood majestically by her locker taking out her books with the delicacy only a true lady could have. He strolled over to her, nervous, but tried to remain as honorable and gentlemanly as possible.

"What's cooking, babe? Love stew?" He nodded in her direction and winked. She rolled her eyes, but smiled a little.

"Hi, Sheen. Not much. There isn't any chorus practice after school today, so I'm free." She responded.

"Well, then it is your lucky day! In honor of it being the month of Ultra Lord's birth, I have decided to celebrate at the Candy Bar! And I was wondering," he struck a ridiculous pose, "if you would join me."

"Are you asking me out? On a real date?" Libby inquired.

"YOU BETCHA!" he exclaimed, and then he quietly added, "Unless you don't want to. In that case, no, I was talking to the picture of the Men Pretending to be Boys in your locker." Libby laughed.

"Don't worry, Sheen. Of course I'll go with you. I'd prefer if we kept the Ultra Lord honoring on low, though." She smirked.

"Are you sure? Because you know, he is the greatest –"

"Yes, Sheen. I'm sure." She interrupted. Sheen looked down, dejected. After noticing his morose appearance, Libby leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek. He perked up immediately.

..^^^..

In AP Biology the next day they had dissections scheduled. On the chopping block today were some lovely hairless rats the size of small cats. The sight of them coupled with the repugnant odor of formaldehyde was enough to slip several people into unconsciousness.

"Now, now, pull yourselves together, students! We are scientists! Find your lab partners and pick yourselves a rat!" Mrs. Montey clapped her hands as she gathered the dissection materials. She already had a very rodent-like appearance to herself. In her oversized lab coat and huge lab goggles, she appeared to be some sort of mouse scientist.

Jimmy's usual partner, Ike, was yet again absent from class. The guy was fairly intelligent, but he never seemed to show up. It didn't matter, though. Jimmy was perfectly capable of carrying out an experiment single handedly. He walked over to the nearest lab table and began organizing the materials.

"Hey, Jimmy?" a finger tapped on his shoulder, interrupting him. It was stupid Henry of all people. "Oleander's absent today, and since Ike is gone, I was thinking we could work together." He smiled congenially.

"Sure, whatever." Jimmy dismissed and resumed his work.

What right did idiotic _Henry _have to be Jimmy Neutron's partner? Just because their normal partners were absent, he thought he could just saunter on up and ask to work with the smartest person in school? The absolute nerve of some people. He looked away from Henry to the group nearest them.

At the lab table adjacent to them, Libby was complaining to Cindy about how disgusting the rat was.

"Suck it up, Libbs. This," she picked up her scalpel and smiled, "is going to be fun."

Jimmy stared openly. Cindy was such a _badass_. She was in complete control of the experiment. And in that lab coat…

"Uh, Jimmy?" Henry called from behind him. "Do you want to start the dissection?"

"What? YES. I mean, yeah, sure." He fumbled awkwardly. Stupid Henry.

"So do we cut here?" he gestured to the rat's abdomen.

"No." Jimmy said with hostility. Then he spoke louder in the hopes Cindy would hear. "_That_ may cause unnecessary leaking. You'd better let me handle this."

"Okay, sure, Jimmy." Henry backed off. Jimmy cut the rat and began examining its organs.

"Is that the liver?" Henry inquired.

"No, _Henry,_" Jimmy continued in his overtly loud tone. "That is the pancreas."

Cindy looked up and gave Jimmy a quizzical and slightly annoyed look. She proceeded to roll her eyes. Getting back to her own dissection, she noticed they were lacking tweezers. She glanced over to Jimmy's table and saw they had an extra pair. She let out a sigh and the walked over to them.

"Hey, Henry… Frankenhead." She greeted. "Can I have your extra tweezers?"

"Sure, Cindy." Henry grinned and handed them to her amicably.

Oh, so now Henry thought he could just answer for both of them? WHO DID THIS GUY THINK HE WAS? Answering for JIMMY NEUTRON? Something must be done. Cindy was turning to leave the table when Jimmy stopped her.

"So, Cindy, did you read the latest news on Antarctic deep sea life?" he blurted out.

"Um, duh. We argued about it for around twenty minutes this morning –" Cindy looked at him, confused and irritated.

"So did _you_ read the latest news on Antarctic deep sea life, _Henry_?" Jimmy asked pointedly.

"Um, not exactly –" Henry answered.

"Oh, well, that's too bad." Jimmy smiled at Cindy.

"What the HECK is your PROBLEM, Freak Boy?" Cindy snarled. Jimmy's smile vanished.

"Nothing, I was just talking about undersea life –" He tried to explain.

"You think you're _so_ great with your big, stupid, brain. Well, I've got news for you, Dweebtron! You could stand to learn a few social skills!" Cindy put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, and _you're_ just the most pleasant person to be around all the time, Vortex?"

"Jimmy! Cindy! This is the last time! Stop fighting or I'll have to give you detention!" Mrs. Montey called out from the other side of the room. Cindy glared at him and then stalked over to her table. Jimmy stabbed the rat with a little more force than was necessary for the rest of the dissection.

..^^^..

Libby sat at a booth in the Candy Bar while she waited for Sheen to put a coin in the juke box. As ridiculous as he was sometimes, they'd been through a whole lot together and he knew her well. So when the juke box stopped playing a few minutes into their date, he immediately got up to put on some more music. Libby always loved a soundtrack playing in her life. After picking one of her favorite songs, Sheen rushed back over to the table.

"So, how's it happening, milady?" Sheen asked, trying to be smooth. Libby could never stop herself from smiling when he said things like this.

"Things are pretty good. Math is so hard this year, though. Pre-calculus is going right over my head. I thought I had the whole sine-cosine-tangent thing down in Geometry, but boy, was I wrong." Libby shook her head exasperatedly.

"You're worried? I'm sure you'll do great. You've always been so much smarter than me." Sheen said earnestly.

That was what Libby really liked about Sheen. He said all these cheesy lines, but Libby always knew what he meant beneath them. And things like this? He always said them so honestly, like they were the most obvious facts in the world. A lot of people questioned why she would ever like Sheen. But who couldn't like someone who talked to you like that?

"Thanks, Sheen." She scooted closer to him and put her hands in his. He positively beamed.

"So, um, Libby…" Sheen began nervously. "I just wanted to ask, you know, officially, if you wanted to be my girlfriend?" he looked over at her with the most hopeful puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen. It was Libby's turn to beam.

"I'd love to." She squeezed his hands.

..^^^..

Even for secret meetings, Cindy was always very punctual. It was always 7:31 PM when Jimmy would hear that familiar code knock on the door. But something wasn't right tonight. It was 7:33 and she still wasn't here.

Jimmy told himself it was okay. She could just be a couple minutes behind. Though, that wasn't like Cindy… She might have just been toying with him. _That _was like her. But what if she just stopped coming anymore? What if she had foolishly placed her affections on that ignoramus, Henry? _No_, Jimmy said to himself, _she would tell me first. We have this thing, this… Operation S.U.D.S. She wouldn't just quit. _

He decided then and there that he and Cindy _were_ boyfriend and girlfriend in a way. Secret ones at that, but the rules were all the same. She'd… 'break up' with him before she went after _some other idiotic_ guy.

Thirty minutes passed by before Jimmy decided to check and make sure she wasn't dead or bedridden with some kind of hideous disease. These two possibilities seemed far more likely than the Henry theory to Jimmy. He grabbed his jetpack and ran out of the lab. He crossed the street warily in the dark, carefully looking to make sure no one was watching. Her light was on in her window, so he ran up to the side of her house nearest to it. He attempted to fire up the jetpack quietly, a futile effort, but no one seemed to hear. He flew up to her window.

Inside Cindy lied on her bed clutching a pillow. It took Jimmy a few seconds to register that the red splotches on her face and her glassy eyes meant that she was crying. It was so strange – he had never seen Cindy cry before, even when their lives were in danger. She was normally so strong and resilient. Seeing her break down like this made Jimmy want to use his Cheese Ray on the culprit and then feed the cheese to rats. Jimmy tapped on the window.

Initially, her head snapped up in fear. Then she registered who it was and her face grew furious. She stormed over to him, her cheeks glistening with tears. She opened the window.

"Cindy, are you okay –" he started.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" She seethed. Jimmy had heard Cindy be angry on numerous occasions, but this was different. He had never seen her this _livid_.

"I –"

"IT'S NOT BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU HAD TO ACT LIKE A COMPLETE JERK TODAY AT SCHOOL, IS IT? NOW YOU HAVE TO COME TO MY HOUSE AND INVADE MY PRIVACY! _WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE_? MY _BOYFRIEND_? YOU THINK YOU CAN ACT LIKE YOU'RE JEALOUS OF SOME GUY AT SCHOOL FOR NO REASON AND THEN POP OVER TO MY ROOM?"

Jimmy looked at her, hurt and speechless.

"LEAVE!" She pointed in the direction of his house.

"But, Cindy…" he pleaded.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" She slammed the window shut, drew the blinds, and closed the curtains.

Jimmy hovered in the air by her window, completely in the dark.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh no! Why was Cindy crying? And poor Jimmy! Just when he decides he wants Cindy to be his girlfriend, she denies it! :( Anyway, let me know if you liked how I wrote the serious tone and such. Also, tell me if you think more serious stuff should happen in this series, or if I should return to cartoon-y bliss. :) One more thing, tell me how you liked the S/L! It was fun writing from Sheen and Libby's POVs. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW, PEOPLE! Love you guys, see you soon to find out what happens with Jimmy and Cindy! (Also, I think the next chapter might be the first part of the tv movie! :D)**


	10. Double Trouble Part One

**A/N: And here we are, part one of the two part TV Movie! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Jimmy didn't get very much sleep that night.<p>

He was… well, the most appropriate word would be bewildered. Nobody had ever been that absolutely furious with him ever before. And Cindy was _always_ angry with him. It was just so… real that time. It seemed so permanent. Whenever they argued, it was always in the back of his mind that it would be back to normal the next day; all would be forgotten. This time was different.

He had to wonder if it was his fault. Yes he was a jerk at school – though stupid Henry had it coming – and yes, he kind of invaded her privacy. Still, he didn't think that garnered the response he received. She had been crying when he first got there. Jimmy wondered why.

Was it really just him? A wave of guilt rushed over his body. But, no. It couldn't be. He'd done much worse in the past. Why would this time be different? No, there must have been some kind of outside force affecting the outcome, some unseen variable…. But what?

He thought about what might be bothering Cindy. He suddenly realized how very little he knew about her personal life. They didn't spend much time talking in the lab, of course. And though he had known her for most of his life, they mainly argued about this scientific fact or that historical paradigm. Cindy was always something familiar to him – the sound of her voice, the angry look on her face, the touch of her skin during forbidden hours – but now she seemed like a complete stranger. A foreign entity that was most likely to dangerous to investigate.

Well, for once he was determined to make it up to her. He'd win her over with his genius and dashing charm, and maybe she'd open up and tell him. Not likely, but worth a shot. Besides, anything was possible when he put his mind to it. And he had the perfect idea.

..^^^..

"Libby, I'm really not in the mood." Cindy crossed her arms as Libby dragged her down the sidewalk.

"C'mon, we'll get some ice cream and you'll feel better." Libby smiled winningly. Cindy huffed and reluctantly followed her best friend to the Candy Bar.

They made it to the shoddy establishment within a few minutes. Cindy and Libby sat down at their usual booth in the corner and ordered.

"I'm sorry about the valedictorian thing, girl." Libby offered. Cindy blew her bangs out of her face as she rested her hand on her cheek.

"It's not like I didn't expect it." Cindy sighed.

She wasn't delusional. She knew deep down she had no hope of procuring the position of valedictorian with Freak Boy at her school. Still, it stung a little. That wasn't the worst of it, though. The worst was her mother. She didn't yell. She didn't scream. She just sat there at the kitchen table with the notice in her hands. The letter announcing Cindy as Salutatorian had come in the mail earlier that day. And her mother had nothing to say to her. No congratulations, no celebratory hugs, not even a proud glance. As if it wasn't a big deal coming second only to Nerdtron! Time Magazine wrote an article classifying him with the greatest geniuses of all time! And he was only thirteen at the time! But no, it still wasn't good enough for her mother. It was all his fault, really! If it weren't for him, Cindy's life would be perfect! She was forced to hate him!

And yet she found herself walking over to his lab every evening! Why did she do that? What possibly attracted her to him? The simple answer came easily – his intelligence – the very same that commanded her to hate him! Why did it have to be him? Why did they have to meet? He made her life so difficult, so confusing! And then, he thought it was okay to just fly up to her room? The idiot! When she noticed him watching her in her vulnerable state, something snapped. All of the emotions tied up into that moment exploded. She couldn't quite erase to look on his face as she shut the window. He was hurt, and part of her was glad she was. The other part was too confused to determine its feelings.

"Well, if it means anything, I'm really happy for you, Cin." Libby smiled.

"Thanks, Libbs. It does." Their ice cream came and they sat there chatting contentedly about mundane things unrelated to the valedictorian. "You know, I am feeling better." Cindy gave a weak grin after a few minutes.

A bell tinkled, signifying a new customer. Cindy watched as the three of them entered the Candy Bar. She felt her good mood vanish immediately. Her thoughts were consumed by a single hope: _maybe he won't see me_. Libby noticed Cindy had stopped talking.

"Hey, Cin, what is it?" Libby turned to look in the same direction as Cindy. "Hey guys!" Libby waved the three of them over.

Cindy wanted nothing more than to kick Libby in the shins under the table.

"Hello LADIES!" Sheen exclaimed as he walked over. "Special lady." He nodded to Libby as he scooted in next to her. Carl followed him, leaving the only seat for Jimmy next to the blond girl who was desperately hoping to become invisible.

Jimmy scooted slowly onto the seat. His pants slid across the rubbery cushion material causing a squeak each time he moved. He finally ceased adjusting, giving Cindy a good bit of personal space. He smiled uncomfortably over at her.

"Hey." He said softly. She furrowed her eyebrows and didn't respond. "Alright, then."

"So, guess what guys?" Carl laughed excitedly and let out a snort. "My dad has promised that this summer I can visit El Guapozapato, Argentina! It's the llama capital of the world!" he gushed.

"That's, uh, great, Carl." Libby tried to sound earnest.

"And by that she means TOTALLY LAME, dude!" Sheen laughed openly until Libby kicked his foot. "OW!" he called out. She glared at him. "I mean, totally cool, Carl."

"You know, guys," Jimmy stated to the whole table, but he kept looking over for Cindy's reaction, "I've been thinking we should take a trip together soon. We haven't been up in space for a while. The views from Mars should be spectacular this evening." Jimmy patted himself on the back for a well-placed lure. Cindy loved going out into space. She was always talking about how pretty it was out there. And maybe seeing those views from the unpolluted skies of Mars would remind her of a happier day spent on that same planet years earlier.

"ALL RIGHT, AN ADVENTURE!" Sheen exclaimed.

"Oh, count me in!" Libby smiled.

"I guess it'll be okay as long as we don't run into those scary Martians again." Carl nodded.

"Cin?" Libby prompted.

"No. I don't feel good today." She responded, not looking up.

"But I'm sure this will cheer you up more than a little ice cream! C'mon, Cin!" Libby pleaded.

"No. I don't want to." This time, she looked directly at Jimmy.

"Whatever, party pooper. LAST ONE TO THE ROCKET HAS TO HOLD CARL'S HAND DURING LIFTOFF!" Sheen screamed as he ran out of the restaurant. Libby followed, shooting a sorry look at Cindy. Carl trotted close behind. Jimmy glanced at Cindy one last time before he too left the Candy Bar.

Cindy sat alone at the booth watching the melting ice cream drip down her cone.

..^^^..

Jimmy prepared the rocket for travel back in his lab. He was frustrated his ploy didn't work. He thought that she'd never be able to pass up a trip into space. Now what was he going to do to get back on her good side? He'd have to think about that on the trip to Mars. The stupid one he was taking that had turned out to be pointless. Oh, well. He'd make it quick. Just fly over, do a little stargazing, and hop right back to Retroville. Maybe he could still make up with Cindy by the end of the day.

"Alright! Everybody in!" Jimmy called as he took the pilot's seat.

"I've never made out in space before!" Sheen raised his eyebrows and glanced at Libby.

"EW! SHEEN!" Carl called.

"What? It'll be like a scientific experiment-thingy. Right, Jimmy?" Sheen called.

"Sure, Sheen." He dismissed, hardly paying attention.

"HA! See?" he stuck his tongue out at Carl.

"Sheeeeeeen! You're going to ruin the whole trip!"

"The both of you are ruining the trip now with all your arguing!" Libby interjected.

"Liftoff in 5… 4… 3… 2…" Jimmy began.

"CARL! LET GO OF MY HAND!" Sheen yanked his hand up.

"BLASTOFF!"

They soared out over Retroville. As they passed the Candy Bar, Jimmy wondered briefly if Cindy was still in there. They continued upward, passing through the atmosphere. Finally, they broke through into the glittering vastness of space. Jimmy was normally comforted by the beauty of the twinkling stars and glowing planets, but today he was only conscious of how much Cindy liked space. He recalled the first time the came up together when they were rescuing their parents from the Yolkians. He laughed to himself remembering their immature little exchange. She had been admiring the stars, being one of the few children there to really appreciate their beauty. She had looked over to Jimmy with a smile which he returned briefly before making a gagging sound and turning away.

He thought about how nice it would be for just the two of them to be up there, alone, after recent events… but that wasn't going to happen until he won her over again. He increased speed. This trip had to be quick. They zoomed towards Mars.

"Moon, moon, moon! You're so –" Carl began singing.

"CARL! NO SONGS!" Sheen shouted.

They steadied into orbit around Mars. Jimmy put the rocket on autopilot.

"Alright, everyone. Fifteen minutes and we're heading back." he stated.

"Fifteen minutes? I thought this was a trip!" Libby put her hands on her hips.

"It's a quick trip." Jimmy snapped back. He reached into his backpack and pulled out some small telescopes. "Here, I brought these. Don't break them, they're made of highly expensive – and not to mention flammable – zinc alloys."

Libby and Sheen talked animatedly about the stars. Carl sat humming to himself as he peered through his telescope. Jimmy was slumped in the pilot's seat barely bothering to observe the stars. His mind was whirring about what to do with Cindy. He really _should_ think of a plan before they headed back down to earth. But what could he possibly do? He'd already offered to take her to her favorite place.

"What's the matter, Jim?" Carl asked, noticing his sullen behavior.

"Nothing, Carl. I'm just having a hard time figuring out this problem –" He tried to explain without giving anything away.

"Oh, it's math? Well, okay, you just do that, Jimmy, and I'll be over here looking at stars." Carl backed away. Jimmy laughed quietly to himself.

"No, Carl. It's okay. Here, I'll help you track some constellations." Jimmy followed him to the other end of the rocket. "You see, Carl, constellations are taken from earth's point of view so from this angle it's more difficult to find the same clusters. Take Orion, for example. It's the closest to earth, and therefore looks quite different from this vantage point."

Jimmy took Carl's telescope and held it to his eye, scanning for Orion. He spotted the familiar group of stars. There was Bellatrix, Castor, Pollux, Sirius, and… where was Betelgeuse? Jimmy reexamined the area it was supposed to occupy. There it was! He saw a soft glow. That was strange, though. Even from that angle, Betelgeuse should still have been very bright. Yet, it was dimmer than most of the stars surrounding it.

Scientific curiosity called him to examine it. But he was supposed to be going back soon to confront his problems with Cindy… Oh, he gave up. He had no idea what to do about that, anyway. Scientific discovery beckoned!

"Looks like you're in luck, Libby. We'll be up here for quite a while longer. We're taking a trip over to the star Betelgeuse!" Jimmy announced as he sat back down in the pilot's seat and turned off the autopilot.

"ALRIGHT!" Sheen threw his hands in the air.

"Is it Betelgeuse like that movie with the scary man?" Carl asked nervously.

"No Carl. That's _Beetlejuice_." Jimmy corrected.

"I don't hear the difference…" Carl looked off into the distance nervously. Jimmy disregarded this and took the rocket out of Mars' orbit and into the vast emptiness of space.

..^^^..

The trip was long. Jimmy knew that it would be a few hours, but he had not anticipated how his companions would react to such a lengthy trip.

"ARE WE THERE, YET?" Sheen asked for the one hundred and forty-seventh time.

"NO, SHEEN. WE ARE NOT THERE, YET." Jimmy snapped back, tired of him asking every five minutes. They _were_ getting closer. The red giant was very visible to the naked eye, now. However, it did not glow with its normal force. It was a glimmering maroon-ish color.

"Betelgeuse is due to go supernova within the next million years. It shouldn't be getting dimmer; it should be getting brighter…" Jimmy mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, a massive asteroid came between them and Betelgeuse, bathing them in a shadow. Jimmy quickly jerked the steering wheel of the rocket in order to avoid collision.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jimmy swerved around in space, throwing Libby, Sheen, and Carl around the rocket.

"WHERE DID THAT ASTEROID EVEN COME FROM?" Libby shouted over the roar of the rocket.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jimmy shouted back as he pulled on the wheel. "I don't think I'm going to make it!"

They were being pulled down to the surface of the asteroid by its gravity. The surface was a dusty brown color littered with jagged rocks. Not the best place for a crash landing.

"WHY MUST THE GOOD DIE YOUNGGGGGGGGGGGG!" Sheen called out.

Jimmy pulled up the wheel as far as it would go. His arms were quickly getting sore and he wasn't sure he could hold on much longer.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he yelled as they approached the surface.

The rocket skidded across the surface, emitting a high pitched scratching noise that was ear-splitting. They were hurtling towards a large rock jutting out of the dirty surface. They hit it with a loud clang, throwing Jimmy, Sheen, Carl, and Libby out of the ship. They flew several feet through the air until they plummeted onto the unforgiving ground. They moaned as they stood up.

"Ugh, what just happened?" Libby cradled her bruised arm.

"The rocket!" Jimmy shouted. "It's completely busted!"

"How are we going to get home?" Carl asked, panicked.

"You're not going home." A deep voice echoed from behind them. They whipped their heads around. About twenty feet away stood an exact copy of Jimmy, but without the familiar hairdo.

"Evil Clone!" Jimmy exclaimed. "But, how did you –"

"How did I re-materialize after the destruction of my evil planet? Well, it's a bit of a long story, but I'll give you the basics. After you saved the day on earth and yadda yadda yadda, the remains of the planet and I, barely in existence, floated off into space. I had a lot of time to think of what to do - five years, actually. I waited until we got close enough to a star and then I harnessed the energy. I've been gaining strength from Betelgeuse for the last few years, and when the transfer is complete, we're going to let the energy loose right by earth – causing a supernova explosion!"

"We?" Jimmy asked, confused. "Who's we?"

"Why, _we_ are the survivors of the evil planet's destruction! C'mon, friends! Let's show them!" Evil Clone called behind him.

Evil cloned versions of Sheen, Libby, and Carl appeared. Behind them were many other familiar, but more deranged looking, faces. Ms. Fowl, Sam, Mr. Wheezer… and there, in the back, was an evil clone of Cindy.

"Now, we can't have you all ruining our malicious plan, can we?" Evil Clone smiled devilishly. "GET THEM!" He pointed and an army of evil clones rushed after the terrified friends.

"QUICK! Into the rocket! It might still work if I adjust it!" Jimmy called to his friends.

They ran over to the crushed vehicle. Jimmy immediately began throwing out unnecessary part and altering the mechanics.

"JIMMY! HURRY!" Sheen shouted.

The clones were getting too close. They weren't going to make it.

"There! Got it!" Jimmy cried as he hopped into the rocket. It was too late for the others, though. The evil clones were grabbing them and holding them to the ground.

"Jimmy! Go back and get help!" Libby called out from under an evil version of the Corki Shimatsu.

"But –"

"JUST GO!" she bellowed.

Jimmy looked back at them guiltily for a moment before taking off.

..^^^..

He landed back on earth cursorily. He was in a panic – his best friends were in danger, but so was the entire earth! There was only one person he could think to ask for help from. He ran up the steps to the white door of the pink house across the street.

He rang the doorbell.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: BUM BUM BUMMMMMMMM! Part one is DONE! Please review and let me know if you liked it. I realize this part was a little slow, but I promise part two will be ACTION-PACKED! I might even update later tonight or tomorrow since this is kind of like a single episode and I already know what I'm going to write. Reviews really help me write, so if you want a quick update, the best way to give me motivation is REVIEWING! Alright, see you guys soon when Jimmy and Cindy go off together to save the day! (That's going to be awkward and hilarious, isn't it? :D )**


	11. Double Trouble Part Two

**A/N: Part Two! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>He rang the doorbell.<p>

No one answered. He began to panic. Where could she be? He _had_ to find her! Maybe the Candy Bar? Or school? Her karate dojo?

"Up here, moron." Cindy's voice echoed from above him. He glanced up to see her head and torso hanging out her window, her hands gripping the sill so tightly her knuckles were white. He backed up in order to talk to her more directly. "What do _you_ want?"

"I need your help!" he called up.

"Pssh. Like that'll happen." She ducked back into her room.

"Cindy! CINDY! WAIT!" He was cut off when she slammed the window shut. "Of all the times for her to be stubborn!" he muttered as he ran back up to the door. He rang the doorbell again. After a few seconds of nonresponse, he began to ring the doorbell repeatedly at high speed.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" he heard muffled from the inside along with the sound of her feet plodding down the stairs. She opened the door a crack, the latch still fastened. "This had _better_ be good."

"Space! Evil! Friends! DANGER! CLONES!" Jimmy spat out at a scarily rapid rate.

"Let's try this again, Dweebtron. Articulate, or I'm shutting the door and I won't answer no matter how many times you ring. What do you want?" She glared at him expectantly.

"Sheen, Carl, and Libby are in trouble! We were out observing stars in Orion when we ran into my evil clone! He's been gaining power and has an army! And he wants to destroy the earth –"

Cindy shut the door in his face.

Jimmy was about to start banging on the door when he heard her unlatch the lock. She swung the door open angrily, revealing her fuming face.

"YOU LOST OUR FRIENDS IN SPACE?" She shouted.

"Well, yes, technically –"

"YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! CAN YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?"

"Yes, actually. I get my good test scores by doing things right, you see –"

"Oh, SHUT UP! Stop being a pretentious jerk and let's save our friends and clean up your mess!" She stormed past him towards his lab. He followed after her.

..^^^..

"Where's the rocket?" She asked in the lab, looking at the launch pad.

"It's kind of totaled –" he said hesitantly.

"YOU MORON!"

"Yes, you keep saying that –"

"How are we supposed to get them if we can't leave earth?" She faced him, hands on her hips.

"We'll have to use one of my older rockets. It'll be cramped, but it'll work."

"Are you _serious_?"

"You know, there's no one else here. You don't have to keep acting like you're mad at me." Jimmy prompted, hoping she'd lighten up.

"Nerdtron, I've never had to act." She turned from him to look at the older rockets.

Well, _that_ didn't work. Jimmy walked past her and gestured to the old Strato XL.

"I think this is our best bet. It's served me well, and if I recall you've steered it." He glared at her, remembering the time she drove it without his permission.

"I was perfectly able to handle it!"

"UNTIL YOU CRASHED IT!" Jimmy brought his hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. "The experience will be helpful, though. You'll be able to steer in the circumstance that I am unable."

"Alright. Shut up and let's go, or I'll be the one to disable you." She began to prepare the rocket for launch.

..^^^..

"Okay, are you strapped in?" Jimmy asked as he started the takeoff.

"Yes."

"Do you have your safety oxygen mask?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where the emergency eject button is –"

"YES, ALREADY! LET'S GO!" Cindy screamed.

"Alright, alright! I was only checking! Liftoff in 5… 4… 3…" Jimmy began, but Cindy reached over and pushed the rocket enabler.

"BLASTOFF!" she yelled and they hurtled into the sky.

"WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?" Jimmy yelled over the rushing wind.

"COMPLETELY!" she yelled back. For the first time in the last twenty-four hours, she smiled genuinely.

Soon, they were out of the atmosphere and in space. The sound of rushing wind vanished and a peaceful hum of the rocket took its place. Cindy looked out into space. She was upset she missed this earlier today, but she had been too stubborn to give in. Now she could watch happily and let the stars calm her, so far away from her problems back home. Of course, that wasn't completely true. One very big problem sat in the rocket with her. But she chose to ignore that for now.

Jimmy would have really enjoyed this moment if Cindy weren't so mad at him currently and their friends weren't in mortal danger. Still, he noted how she quieted at the sight of the stars and he smiled to himself. Cindy was certainly unique. Her favorite place wasn't even on earth. He'd always preferred the wonder of space to the mundane familiarity of earth himself.

But now was not the time for sentimentality. Jimmy throttled the rocket into full speed. It was time to save the day again.

..^^^..

The dimmed Betelgeuse was once again in sight. Jimmy scanned the area for the asteroid. He spotted it in the distance.

"There!" he pointed it out to Cindy. She nodded.

"What's the plan?" she inquired.

"I don't really know." He said, sure she would yell at him for being unprepared. But she just nodded again.

"Let's get our friends back."

Jimmy began to prepare the rocket for landing. They drew closer and closer to the surface of the asteroid, this time not crashing towards it. They touched down gently. Jimmy looked around. He didn't see any clones. He motioned for Cindy to get out of the rocket. She gestured to a large rock and the both of them pushed the rocket behind it for safe keeping.

"Alright," Jimmy whispered, "the first order of business is finding the base of the clone operations. It could be anywhere – on the other side of the asteroid, underground –"

"Or right behind you." Cindy whispered back with a smirk.

Jimmy turned his head to behold a makeshift building seemingly made out of space-junk the clones had found floating around. It gave the structure the appearance of a futuristic Frankenstein's monster.

"Creepy." Cindy breathed. Jimmy nodded in assent.

They started to run stealthily toward the patchwork building. Cindy moved quickly and quietly, while Jimmy's unpracticed feet seemed to thud thunderously with every step.

"_Could you be any louder_?" Cindy whispered angrily.

"_Yes_." He remarked. She rolled her eyes.

"_Just try to keep it down_."

They were now in sight of the entrance. Evil versions of Principal Willoughby and Mr. Estevez stood out front guarding the door.

"All we have to do is act like we're evil. They are clones after all." Jimmy said quietly.

"Shouldn't be too hard for you." Cindy chuckled quietly to herself. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"Here, can you fix my hair like the evil clone?"

"It's been years since I've seen that thing! I don't remember what it looks like!" she snapped furtively. Jimmy sighed exasperatedly.

"You are useless!" Jimmy turned and began to fix his own hair. She put her hands on her hips, indignant. Jimmy lifted his head. He was now the picture of Evil Jimmy. "Now just remember, act natural. Naturally evil."

They strolled up casually to the door, keeping stern grimaces on their faces. Jimmy noticed a pile of cream pies next to the door. He remembered his evil clone's affinity for classic pranks and dismissed the weird placement.

"Halt!" Evil Mr. Estevez held his hand in front of him. "Password?"

Jimmy hadn't thought of this. What could the password possibly be? Something evil… Dead Puppies? Cindy suddenly grabbed a pie from the pile and threw it in Mr. Estevez's face. Jimmy looked at her in shock, thinking she'd blown the whole thing.

"Password accepted." Evil Willoughby said as he stepped aside for their entry.

"Useless, huh?" Cindy smirked as the entered.

"I was about to do the same thing." He brushed it off, but in reality his neck was simmering at the thought of her quick thinking. _Really, _he thought to himself, _at a time like this?_

They walked slowly down the hallway, trying not to attract attention. All around them were friends and family, but they were sneering and laughing maniacally. Jimmy contorted his face into the most menacing scowl he could muster. They looked up and down hallways, trying to find one that might lead to a holding cell or something, wherever their friends might be. They neared the back of the main hallway, and the crowd was dispersing.

"There!" Cindy nodded toward the very last hallway where a couple more guards stood in front. "If they're guarding it, it must be important."

Jimmy nodded. They moved forward nonchalantly, but very evilly. This time the guards were clones of Officer Tubs and Sam.

"Halt!" Evil Tubs said. Jimmy looked around for a pie to throw, but saw nothing. He turned to Cindy. She looked at him with panic.

"You're Evil Jimmy?" Evil Sam held a sharp piece of scrap metal in Jimmy's direction. He gulped.

"Y-yes."

"LIAR! The _real_ Evil Jimmy came through here hours ago! YEAH!" Evil Sam shouted, attracting the attention of surrounding clones. "INTRUDERS! YEAH!"

Cindy took a karate stance. Evil Sam ran at her with the scrap metal spear. She jumped up, flipping over his makeshift weapon and landing on the shiny dome of his head. The impact knocked him out and he fell to the floor. She quickly knocked out Evil Tubs with the application of a few pressure points.

"Jimmy! LET'S GO!" She yelled, not bothering to be quiet. Some of the clones from the main hallway now chased after them.

Their labored breathing echoed in the long metal hallway. It was dimly lit, making it difficult to navigate. Jimmy scanned the walls for any doors, any sign of Sheen, Carl, or Libby. When they got a little farther down the hallway, shoddy cells began popping up to their sides. Jimmy peered inside each one, searching for their friends.

"Libby! Sheen! CARL!" Cindy called out.

"CINDY!" Sheen's grating voice rang out just a few meters ahead. Jimmy and Cindy rushed forward to find Sheen, Carl, and Libby huddled together in a cell. The structure was so poorly built that it was unsafe to touch. Metal points poked out in every direction, threatening a deep cut at just an accidental brush.

"Where's the opening?" Cindy asked.

"Over there!" Libby pointed to a small door latched onto the cell with a padlock.

"Step aside!" Jimmy commanded as he went to the padlock. He activated the laser in his wristwatch and cut the lock open. "Ta-da!"

"Yeah, awesome, you opened the door – now let's go guys! Quickly!" Cindy waved the three of them out of the cell.

"Going somewhere?" It was Evil Jimmy's voice coming from behind them. Jimmy's body froze. He turned to look. "I don't think that's a wise choice." Evil Jimmy took out a flashlight and shined it down the hall. A wall of evil clones waited to attack, their eyes shining it the light.

"THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME!" Carl screamed shrilly.

"No, no." Evil Jimmy said in false comfort. "If everyone would just get back in their cage, nothing bad will happen. Well, besides the destruction of your planet." He laughed evilly and the crowd of clones joined in.

"I don't think so!" Cindy interrupted the laughter and faced the wall of clones. "BRING IT ON!" She positioned herself in a karate stance. The army was about to rush forward at her when a high pitched evil cackle rang out. It was familiar, but there was something off about it. The evil clone of Cindy came forward.

"She's mine." Evil Cindy snarled as she took her stance.

"Oh look, a show!" Evil Jimmy remarked, rubbing his hands together maliciously. "Pulverize her, Evil Cindy. We have no further need of a big-mouthed blonde girl."

"Of course." Evil Cindy responded.

Both Cindy's rushed at each other. There was a flurry of limbs punching and kicking for a few seconds before the real Cindy was thrown backwards.

"We still have a lot in common, you and I." Evil Cindy taunted as she walked toward the real Cindy who was still crumpled on the ground. "But you have too much sentimentality to be a real fighter. That's what I don't like about you; you, this _version_ of me."

Evil Cindy went in for the final blow, but the real Cindy spun around on the ground and tripped her.

"First of all," Cindy said as she gave her evil clone a few good kicks, "_you_ are a version of _me_! And there are a lot of things I don't like about you. But you know what disgusts me most? That you do everything _he _says." She gestured to Evil Jimmy. Then she turned toward the whole crowd of clones. "That goes for all of you! None of you are _truly_ evil! You're all just evil minions!"

There was a visible and audible effect of Cindy's words on the clones. They sneered and snarled, grimaced and growled. Then, they ran forward, a war cry echoing in the hall. But instead of attacking Cindy, they went for Evil Jimmy.

"No! NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Evil Jimmy shouted as he was engulfed by the clones.

"Quickly! We have to find his power source and destroy it before they're done!" Jimmy motioned for them to follow. They scurried down the barely lit hallways until it started to get brighter.

"We must be close!" Cindy observed.

Sure enough, as they turned the next corner, what looked like a giant lava lamp took up the entire hall. It was filled with molten lava, much like that of the sun.

"How are we gonna destroy it?" Libby asked.

"I don't know… Wait! Do you guys still have your highly flammable zinc alloy telescopes?" Jimmy questioned hopefully. Libby, Carl, and Sheen nodded and handed him the metal tubes. "If we place these close enough to the heat source, they'll heat up and eventually explode! We have to move quickly though. It'll only take them a few minutes to combust and then the asteroid will go up in flames!"

The group nodded and Jimmy ran to place the telescopes by the heat source. He put them down carefully, but then ran hard down the hallway just behind his friends. The clones were still preoccupied with Evil Jimmy, so they ran out of the building easily.

"WHERE DID WE PARK?" Cindy yelled, panicked.

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU POINTED OUT THE ROCK!" Jimmy retaliated.

"THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME!" Cindy threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"Over here!" Carl called from a few feet back by a large rock. They all ran over to the rocket.

"How are we supposed to fit?" Libby asked, looking at the two seat rocket.

"Easy." Said Jimmy. He pulled the Hypercube out of storage and produced two sidecars for the rocket. With Libby in Sheen's lap, they all fit easily. "Liftoff in 5… 4…"

"NO TIME! BLASTOFF!" Cindy reached over and pushed the button again.

They shot into space, and just seconds after they were clear of it, the asteroid exploded. The group cheered.

..^^^..

They all got out of the rocket and into the lab, still exhilarated over their victory. Carl yawned and announced he was going home. Sheen and Libby said they had to 'study' and they left too. Cindy lingered.

"So I guess you saved the day again, huh, moron?" she smiled.

"And I guess you weren't all that useless." He smiled back. They stood around in silence for a moment.

"So go ahead, do it. Gloat." She closed her eyes as if preparing for some sort of physical pain.

"About what? Saving the world? I can –"

"No. The other thing."

"What other thing?"

"Are you serious?" she opened her eyes a little. "The valedictorian thing! You got it, I didn't." she looked down, dejected.

"What?"

"Haven't you checked your mail? They sent the notices out yesterday."

"I haven't looked at the mail in days." He shrugged.

"Oh great. Now I look like even more of an idiot." She turned to leave. "I'll see you later, Jimmy."

Before she could leave, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him.

"You're not an idiot. In fact, you're the most non-idiotic person I've ever met." He smiled, and then looked down. "I was kind of upset you were mad at me. I didn't expect to feel that much of a… reaction."

"I'm sorry. It was just this whole valedictorian thing and my mom…" she trailed off. "Jimmy, I should hate you. Everything tells me I should. If it weren't for you, I…" she noticed the hurt look in his eyes. "But the thing is, I don't hate you. No matter what I do, I still want to come over and sit in your lab, watch you fix some stupid invention that'll explode anyway, maybe do a little more than watch…" she smiled playfully. "I do like you, Jimmy. And I didn't mean what I said the other day. Anybody would be lucky to be your girlfriend."

"I'd prefer if it were you." He grinned.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and she held his neck as she nuzzled her head in his shoulder.

Jimmy wondered if anyone else knew hugs could be even better than kisses.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there you have it! No cliffhangers, but RESOLUTION! I hope you all liked it. Let me know in the reviews! Please, all criticism, critique, and compliments are welcome! Phew, did I write a lot today! So pay me back with a nice review, eh? :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed so quickly! You got me through writing part two! Other people, feel free to still review part one. I LOVE feedback. I want to make this story a better experience for YOU. I am but an entertainer. :)**


	12. Allergies and Accidents

**A/N: I've been neglecting Carl. So he's got a little feature this episode. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Jimmy sat in the lab on Saturday afternoon fiddling with the hypercube. A knock sounded on the door.<p>

D-W-E-E-B-T-R-O-N

Strange. This was not the usual time for Cindy to come over. Nevertheless, he eagerly granted entry. Cindy plummeted to the ground, but she didn't hit hard as she normally did. Jimmy had finally decided to put a large cushion there to soften her fall. Jimmy walked up to her with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"You like the cushion?" He raised his eyebrows and gestured for her to come over. Cindy, however, walked briskly toward his chemical cabinet.

"Cindy! Wha- what are you doing?" he whined, disappointed.

"I just need to borrow some formaldehyde for the AP Bio homework." She responded nonchalantly.

"But- but Cindy! The code knock means _what the code knock means_!" Jimmy moaned, disappointed. Cindy smirked and let out a small laugh.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Dweebtron." She didn't look at him as she removed the formaldehyde.

"And who says you can just walk in and take my stuff?"

"I do. And if you want me to come back later, you'll agree." Cindy started to leave.

"Why can't you just… stay now?"

"Because, Frankenhead, I have to do my homework."

"Well couldn't you just, you know, do it here?" Jimmy asked hopefully. Cindy stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. You do have all the equipment." Cindy glanced around the lab. "Okay. But I really need to get this done and I have to be home by four thirty. That's when my mom gets back from work."

"Excellent." Jimmy grinned.

..^^^..

Cindy tried to fix her hair as she ran home across the street at five fifteen. She hadn't gotten one page of her homework done and now her mom was going to grill her about where she was. She had to think of a good excuse… Libby's? Yeah, that could work. They were doing AP Bio together. Perfect. But what if her mom asked to see her homework? Leaping leptons, was this hard!

Leaping leptons?

Great. Now she was saying his dorky catchphrases too. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid NERDTRON! Once again, this was all his freaking fault! She was working nicely on her homework when he came over to look at it. This prompted an argument about whether or not cats were appropriate for school dissections and the next thing she knew, his lips were against hers. The weird thing was, though, they hadn't actually made out the whole time, as was the usual protocol. They'd stopped and started talking about whether or not Shakespeare had intended for Hamlet to actually be insane or if he was only acting the whole time. Cindy couldn't remember how it came up, but just when they were talking about Hamlet's death, she saw the clock. And so, she ran.

She hurried up to the door, but then entered very casually, trying not to breathe heavily. Her mother was at the kitchen table, as always.

"Where were you just now, Cynthia?" Sasha Vortex was filling out the newspaper crossword.

"Libby's." Cindy decided to chance it. "We were working on AP Bio."

"Just tell me next time, dear. I worry."

"A little too much." Cindy muttered under her breath as she climbed the stairs.

She entered her room and closed the door behind her. She plopped on her bed and let out a long sigh. Then, she was smiling. Who else on earth could she argue about biology, make out, and then discuss _Hamlet_ with?

Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid, wonderful Nerdtron.

..^^^..

Carl Wheezer considered himself a simple man. He didn't ask for very much. However, there was one thing that he really wanted.

To be done with his animal allergies.

It was Carl's utmost dream to become a llama tamer. Unfortunately, bloating up whenever he was within two feet of a llama didn't help much. He could, of course, take allergy medication, which is what he normally did. However, he had to take it by the barrelful which was highly unpleasant. He'd tried absolutely everything, all to no avail. Luckily, Carl had a genius for a best friend.

He was a little surprised that the idea to ask Jimmy for some miracle cure hadn't come to him sooner, but, hey, Jimmy was the smart one. He decided to visit Jimmy and see if he'd do it. He strolled over to the Neutron's house that evening and rang the doorbell. The illustrious Judy Neutron answered.

"Hello, Carl. Jimmy's in the lab." Mrs. Neutron said overly brightly. She had, at this point, definitely noticed Carl's awkward advances. As much as she knew they wouldn't amount to anything, she was eager to keep the conversation succinct.

"Thank you, milady." Carl bowed slightly and gave a wink. Mrs. Neutron rolled her eyes before shutting the door. Carl, oblivious, walked over to the clubhouse.

"Hey, Jimmy!" He called as he knocked. The welcome mat below him gave way and he slid down the familiar tube to land on something totally unfamiliar – a cushion.

"Hey, Carl." Jimmy sat at his computer typing away.

"I like the cushion." Carl said as he walked over to Jimmy.

"What?" Jimmy said, confused. "Oh, the cushion. Right." Carl could have sworn Jimmy blushed a little. "Yeah, I figured it would be useful." He hastily added.

There was a knock on the lab door. It was a strange knock, with lots of pauses. Carl wondered why someone would do that. He looked up at the clubhouse camera to see Cindy standing at the door.

"Jimmy, why is Cindy here? And why is she knocking all weird?" Carl inquired, puzzled. Jimmy's eyes widened.

"Oh, well, man, Carl – I dunno. Probably stupid Cindy things. You know Cindy. Ha. So crazy. Yeah." Jimmy spat out. He then got on the speakers that sounded outside the lab. "Get out of here, Vortex! I'm busy!" Cindy looked outraged at this and took in a sharp breath.

"FREAK BOY! WHAT DO YOU THINK –" Cindy then registered what was happening; that there must be someone in the lab with him. She tried to put an angry face back on. "Well, you're – YOU'RE DEAD AT SCHOOL ON MODAY, GOT IT?" she stormed off convincingly.

"See, Carl? Just normal Cindy stuff. You know, yelling. Yes, that's normal Cindy." Jimmy put on a winning smile.

"Um, okay Jim. You're kind of scaring me." Carl backed away.

"Oh, uh, sorry. It's just, you know, Cindy. She just makes me very angry. Just angry. Yep."

"Right. So, uh, Jimmy – I was wondering if you could maybe make some kind of super-allergy-go-away stuff for me. You know, since I want to be with the llamas and all…" Carl rambled.

"Sure, Carl. It shouldn't be too hard to do. I can probably give you a test drug tomorrow night if you want." Jimmy patted his friend on the back and headed towards his chemical cabinet.

"Thanks, Jimmy! That'd be great." Carl snorted happily. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

And with that, Carl Wheezer, the simple man, strutted happily toward his house.

Later that night, Carl sat happily looking out his bedroom window, excited that he might finally be free of his allergies tomorrow. He saw something strange though. There was a figure out crossing the street. He panicked for a second, thinking some kind of evil villain was surely coming to take him away and never let him see llamas again. However, it went straight for Jimmy's clubhouse. As it got closer, Carl realized it was Cindy. He thought it was weird for a moment, but then he figured Cindy must be going to beat Jimmy up before school on Monday. Poor Jimmy.

..^^^..

"Who was in here earlier?" Cindy asked when she got down to the lab. "Or were you really just being your normal jerky self?" She smiled.

"Ha. Ha. Hilarious, Cindy. No, Carl was here. I'm making some special anti-allergen formula for him. He wants to be a llama breeder, you see." Jimmy smirked. Cindy giggled a bit.

"Oh, Carl." Cindy shook her head then looked at Jimmy. "Well, I'm here now."

"That you are." He responded, but made no move toward her.

"So, are we going to –"

"Only if you want to."

The silence hung in the air.

"You know, we never finished discussing _Hamlet_." Cindy prompted.

"No, I don't think we did." Jimmy chuckled, remembering Cindy running out the door earlier.

"Would you like to research literary critiques?" Cindy raised an eyebrow playfully.

"First one to an accredited article wins!" Jimmy called as they rushed over to the computers in his lab.

..^^^..

Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen walked into the Candy Bar the next day while Jimmy was taking a break from making Carl's allergy medication.

"HEY LOOK!" Sheen bellowed. "The ladies beckon." Sheen scurried spastically toward a table where Libby and Cindy sat. Jimmy and Carl followed behind at a normal pace.

"Hey, guys." Cindy said to all the boys, but her gaze was obviously directed at Jimmy.

"Heeeeey." Jimmy let out an awkwardly long and inarticulate greeting. Cindy's brow quickly furrowed and Jimmy snapped back into the reality of the situation. Lately he'd been forgetting the difference between regular Cindy and Operation S.U.D.S. Cindy. Libby eyed the pair of them skeptically for a moment before being distracted by Sheen.

"How's my Queen of all that is Good and Righteous?" Sheen asked Libby.

"Sheen, it's flattering, but I'm not Queen Liberia from Ultra Lord. We talked about this yesterday."

"I know, but sometimes I forget because you just look like royalty." Sheen attempted to give as much of a charismatic smile as he could.

"Hey, Jimmy, how's my allergies-go-away stuff going?" Carl asked as he slid into the booth.

"Well, I think I'm probably going to add some Calcium mix for the anti-inflammatory supplement." Jimmy responded.

"Wouldn't and Iron mixture work better? It's more suited to prevent a reaction." Cindy suggested.

"Here we go." Libby whispered to Sheen, getting ready for the argument.

"You're probably right. Thanks, Cindy." Jimmy smiled and then noticed the shocked looks on the others' faces. "I mean, IN YOUR DREAMS, VORTEX. CALCIUM IS MUCH BETTER!" He quickly turned to her. She picked up immediately.

"YOU IDIOT! IRON HAS BEEN _PROVEN_ TO WORK AS A BETTER ANTI-INFLAMMATION SUPPLEMENT THAN CALCIUM!"

"THAT IS IT, YOU TWO! YEAH!" Sam shouted, walking over to their booth. "Take it outside, yeah." He waved his hands toward the door. Jimmy and Cindy marched out, glaring at each other.

Once they got outside, Cindy punched Jimmy's arm.

"OUCH!"

"What do you think you're _doing_?" Cindy seethed.

"Sorry! I just, I don't know, I forget sometimes." Jimmy shrugged.

"Well, stop it! You'll ruin everything!" She threw her hands in the air.

Back in the Candy Bar, Sheen, Carl, and Libby discussed the situation.

"That was REALLY weird. And coming from me, that says something." Sheen announced.

"I know! You don't think something's going on, do you?" Libby asked.

"No. Cindy was yelling at him yesterday when I was at the lab. And look at them now. They're definitely angry." Carl gestured at the window through which they could clearly see Jimmy and Cindy arguing. Cindy kept punching him.

"I think he's probably tired from working on your stupid meds, Carl." Sheen offered.

"THEY'RE NOT STUPID!" Carl defended. The topic of Jimmy and Cindy was forgotten.

..^^^..

Cindy came by the lab that evening at her usual time.

"So you still like me, huh?" Jimmy smiled smugly.

"Not for long if you keep that up." Cindy scoffed, but she soon smiled back.

"I'll always have some lovely bruises to remember you by." Jimmy rubbed his arm.

"Wimp." Cindy teased. "Are… well… are you okay, though?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He affirmed.

"Good." She nodded. " Just be careful about what we do in public, okay? Libby almost figured it out today."

"I know. It's just getting harder and harder to draw the line. I mean, we start out hating each other, right? Then it's a mostly, well, physical relationship –"

"Hey! I'm not some kind of harlot!" Cindy protested.

"I know, I know! But you get what I mean. The thing is, lately you and I have been doing a lot more of talking and working together and – well, it's just hard for me to remember that you're not my girlfriend outside of this lab." He gestured to the cluttered place around him.

"It's still weird to hear you say that. You know, the girlfriend thing." Cindy mused.

"I concur. But I think I'm starting to like it. What about you?" Jimmy grinned.

She answered with a kiss.

..^^^..

Carl meandered over to Jimmy's lab to see if his miracle drug was ready. He knocked on the door, but there wasn't any response. He tried calling out for Jimmy – still nothing. He knocked frantically as a last resort. The Welcome mat eventually gave way, and he was hurtled into the lab.

The first thing he heard was yelling. He quickly ran over to a corner as to not be seen. It was Jimmy and Cindy. They were arguing, per usual.

"There is NO WAY Martin Luther King Jr. was a better non-violent protester than Gandhi!" Cindy was shouting.

"King's efforts were WAY more successful when you compare them over a time ratio!" Jimmy countered.

"That's in your opinion! King was INSPIRED by Gandhi!" Cindy strode up to Jimmy, as if to punch him again. Carl was about to get up and try to stop her when something really, really bizarre happened.

She _kissed_ him.

Carl waited for them to break, for Cindy to slap him off or Jimmy to pull away in disgust. But they stayed glued together. In fact, they progressed.

"Okay, I guess you win." Jimmy broke off for a second.

"Oh, don't give up that easily –" She began, but he quieted her with a kiss.

"Well, I must admit, that's an _excellent_ point, Mr. Neutron." Cindy smiled. They went back to it.

Carl was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. He tried to leave the lab as quickly and quietly as possible.

As he walked home, he tried to see if there was any reasonable explanation for Jimmy and Cindy's actions. There wasn't. What was he going to do about it? Should he tell Sheen and Libby? Should he tell Jimmy and Cindy he saw them?

The simple man's life seemed to be getting quite complicated.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there you are, some llama love. :) I'm sorry this is a short chapter. I'm pretty exhausted. But, to clarify something: The last chapter, part two of the tv movie, was not the end of season one. Season one is twelve episodes _plus_ the tv movie. So you all have two more episodes before it's over, not including this one. Alright. I think that's all I had to say. I just want to add, though, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. Your comments mean the world to me. You're the reason I keep writing. Thanks again! **  
><strong>Let me know what you think of this chapter, and I'll probably see you next week for an update! <strong>


	13. The Truth Hurts

"See you tomorrow at school. And please don't forget to hate me." Cindy smiled as she turned to leave the lab. She paused and then ran back to give him one more peck on the cheek.

"I'll try to remember." He waved as she left.

Jimmy plopped onto the couch and sighed contentedly. He really did have to try lately. Cindy was really growing on him. She was over practically every day to research, have intellectual arguments, debate politics, and most importantly – share a kiss or two. Jimmy could hardly believe that Cindy was slowly but surely becoming his closest friend. She was just so _smart_. She really understood what he was saying, and it was so nice for someone to comprehend for once. Jimmy wondered what the probability of a boy genius moving in directly across the street from a girl genius was.

He'd calculate it later. Right now he wanted to daydream.

..^^^..

Carl sat at his bedroom window, staring at the house next door. He was supposed to go over and pick up his new allergy medicine before school. However, after what he saw in the lab…

No, he wasn't going to think about it. He was going to march right over there and get his medicine. He'd do it for the llamas.

Carl walked over to Jimmy's lab door apprehensively. When he reached it, he stared at it for a very long time. If he went in, it meant facing Jimmy with the awful burden of what he saw. If he left, he'd never get his medicine. He had to remember the llamas. He raised his hand to knock, but was still hesitant. He couldn't do it. _Oh well_, he thought to himself, _some other time then –_

"Carl? Are you going to knock or what?" Jimmy voice sounded from the speakers above the door. "I get you down." Jimmy added when Carl didn't respond.

Carl tried to run off the welcome mat before it opened, but years of non-athleticism prevented him. He fell, screaming, onto the newly placed cushion.

And there, standing around five feet in front of him, was his best friend Jimmy Neutron.

The same Jimmy Neutron whom he saw kissing Cindy.

Yep.

Carl found himself unable to speak.

"Carl, are you… okay?" Jimmy asked concernedly.

"YES, I'M VERY OKAY. VERY OKAY." Carl yelped. Jimmy jumped back in alarm.

"Well… that's good, Carl." Jimmy smiled uneasily. "Did you want your new medicine?"

"YES PLEASE!" Carl looked everywhere but at Jimmy.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go get it." Jimmy backed away slowly and exited the room.

_The llamas. The llamas._

He looked around the lab. He saw the spot where he had hidden as he watched the unthinkable occur. He saw the spot where the event itself took place. The room seemed to be getting smaller and smaller until he felt it would close around his chest and squeeze the secret out of him.

"Here you go, Carl –" Jimmy started as he reentered the room.

"THANKS JIMMY!"

Carl grabbed it and _ran_.

..^^^..

Despite all the anxiety he had that morning, Carl felt _fantastic_. This had to be the best invention Jimmy had ever created. As he strolled down the sidewalk toward Retroville High School, he could _smell_. He smelled the grass, the trees, and the fresh scent of the morning air. He'd never known what it was like to feel so alive!

He saw Oleander walking toward him. _It's strange he never got braces,_ Carl thought, _his teeth are still so crooked!_

"Hey!" Oleander shouted, hurt.

Did he just say that out loud?

"Yes, you said that out loud! Now, out of my way, jerk wad!" Oleander huffed as he passed Carl.

Carl figured he must have stayed up too late researching llama breeding techniques. He'd have to be more careful.

Carl walked down to his locker.

"S'up, dude?" Sheen asked as he sauntered up.

This time, Carl could feel the words leaving his mouth.

"Man, does Sheen even know how annoying he is –" Carl quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

"Dude!" Sheen frowned.

"No, Sheen! I can't control –" Carl began, but Libby walked up next to Sheen. Carl felt his body tense up so that he couldn't cover his mouth. "Libby cares too much about her appearance!" He blurted out.

"I will slap you upside the face, Llama Dork!" Libby shouted defensively.

Carl's day was feeling less fantastic.

..^^^..

Jimmy sat down at the lunch table. Carl, Sheen, and Libby must have still been in the lunch line, so it was just him and Cindy. He looked over at her and she scowled back. Jimmy had to stare intently at his plate to keep from laughing. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Cindy was grinning too. He was about to burst out in laughter when Sheen showed up.

"Jimmy! What in the name of Ultra Lord have you done to Carl?" Sheen seethed as he sat down.

"Yeah, Jimmy!" Libby added as she sat down next to Cindy. "All he's doing is insulting people!"

"What?" Jimmy asked, perplexed.

"Carl! He's just saying right what's on his mind. No filter. And he can't stop." Libby reiterated.

"Here he comes!" Sheen moaned.

"Sheen needs to grow up out of his Ultra Lord obsession." Carl stated as he approached. "Libby is going to kill her eardrums if she keeps listening to loud music. On Saturday night, I accidentally fell into Jimmy's lab and I saw him with –"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jimmy leapt across the table and tackled Carl.

They were sent to the principal's office before Carl could say anything else.

..^^^..

Jimmy and Carl were sent home early, but not before Carl had insulted the majority of the student body. Jimmy walked home, exhausted, as Carl babbled on.

"Jimmy your head is _really_ big. The ice-cream style you do with your head looks weird. I'm glad I'm taller than you; it makes me feel like a more confident man. It's gross that you like Cindy –"

"CARL, KEEP IT DOWN!" Jimmy roared. But Carl wasn't really in control. He continued on.

"When I saw you guys making out I was _really_ grossed out. Cindy's a mean girl. Why do you even like her? I wonder how long you and Cindy have been making out in secret…"

His babble continued down into the lab where Jimmy, as gently as a best friend would, stabbed him with a needle containing anesthetics. He was unconscious in just a few minutes. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief. It must have been the allergy medication he gave Carl. The hormones controlling the Broca's Area (the one that controls speech) in his brain must have been altered. It would be a simple fix. Just a few hours for Carl with a tube hooked up to his nose.

D-W-E-E-B-T-O-N

Jimmy let Cindy in since Carl was unconscious – additionally, it seemed like he already knew about them anyway.

"A bunch of people from school are going to go stand outside Carl's house and demand an apology." Cindy commented as she walked in.

"He probably won't remember most of what he said." Jimmy shrugged.

"Well, aren't you a great friend." Cindy said sarcastically, noting Carl's slumped over body.

"I had to do it. That allergy medication is dangerous." Jimmy shuddered to think of what could have happened.

"Yeah. So scary." Cindy rolled her eyes. "Some people just can't take criticism. Besides, you know why he didn't say anything about me?" Cindy began, jokingly, "Because I'm _perfect_."

"Wait – Cindy, do you not realize what he was about to say before I tackled him?" Jimmy inquired.

"Oh, astound me, Nerdtron. What incredibly embarrassing secret did he have on you?" Cindy smiled.

"Think about it Cindy! He mentioned accidentally coming in on Saturday night and _seeing_ something." He prompted.

"WHAT? You mean, _he saw_?" her eyes were wide.

"Yep. And he was about to tell everyone."

"Well, thank goodness, then." Carl moaned and started to move. Cindy punched him over the head, knocking him out again. "For good measure." She said, smoothing her hair.

..^^^..

Jimmy and Cindy sat lazily slumped on the couch as they waited for Carl's treatment to kick in. There was a knock on the lab door.

"No visitors now, please." Jimmy shouted.

They knocked louder.

"I said no visitors!" Jimmy shouted as he walked over to his computer. Camera footage revealed a full blown angry mob outside.

"Let us in, Neutron!" Butch shouted, "Make Wheezer apologize!"

Many of the other mob members yelled in agreement.

"No visitors!" Jimmy repeated.

"Then we'll just have to come in ourselves!" Butch bellowed. He and a few other students left and returned with a medieval battering ram (Jimmy wondered where in Neptune's name they got that). They began assaulting the door.

Jimmy looked back at unconscious Carl and a panicked Cindy.

"Where do I go? Half the kids from school are out there! They can't see me with you!" Cindy screeched.

"I'll figure it out! Just give me a minute!" Jimmy responded.

"We don't _have _a minute! They're breaking down the door as we speak!" Sure enough, dull thuds of the battering ram hitting the door sounded in the distance. "What do we do, Jimmy?"

"Well, you _could_ use the fireplace exit. It's kind of broken – you'll be covered in soot. There's also the chance you might see my parents. It'll spit you out in my living room." Jimmy offered.

"That's better than our entire school! I'll take it!"

Jimmy lead Cindy over to the exit and he showed her how to use it.

"Be quiet. And make sure you go out the back door. The front one is really squeaky. See you later." He said, and then she was gone.

A beep came from the computer, signaling the end of Carl's immunization process. Jimmy ran over to his best friend to wake him up.

"Carl! CARL! There's an angry mob! Wake up!" Jimmy shook his body, but Carl stayed asleep. Jimmy groaned aloud at Carl's sound sleeping. He ran to the back of the lab and retrieved a bucket of water. Jimmy added a touch of his Freeze Ray to make it colder. He threw it on Carl's face and he woke up sputtering.

"C'mon! To the fireplace exit!" Jimmy shouted as he dragged Carl with him. They made it through the exit, tumbling out of Jimmy's living room fireplace, covered in soot. Jimmy looked toward the back door to see Cindy leaving quickly, her ponytail whipping as she ran out the door. He could hear his parents talking upstairs, so she wasn't noticed. He sighed in relief.

"Well, Carl. There's nothing we can do but wait this out." Jimmy coughed through the soot.

..^^^..

Carl was in Jimmy's lab again the next day.

"I'm sorry all this happened, Carl. This is all my medicine's fault. I shouldn't have added all those supplements." Jimmy offered.

"It's alright," Carl answered, " They only beat me up a little when they found out you were behind this. Sorry about your black eye, Jim."

"Eh, it's okay. I look a little tougher, right?" Jimmy smiled. "I'm sorry carl, but there's one more thing I have to do to you."

"Huh?" Carl backed away a little.

"I'm sorry," Jimmy said as he whipped out the Hypno Ray, "You won't remember what you saw this past Saturday." Carl's eyes seemed to swirl for a minute before he blinked a few times.

"Oh, hey Jim. How long have I been here? And – ow – my scapula…" Carl rubbed his shoulder.

All was right in the world.

A/N: Oh. my. goodness. guys. I am sooooooooooooooo freaking sorry for not updating for an eternity. I have been the busiest person on this planet. Probabaly. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll try and update again as soon as possible. No guarantees, though. I'm about to graduate and I just have sooo much stuff going on. But I have a whole 2nd season planned for over the summer that I'll update much more frequently! Alright, one more thing... I have two ideas for the next chapter. Would you rather a dramatic season finale or a special fluffy episode for the end of the season, so the drama can pick up on season 2? Let me know in your review. Love you guys so much, and once again, SO SORRY!


	14. Finale

"Girl, I feel like we haven't talked for ages. This is nice." Libby mused, lying on her bed.

"I've just been so busy lately." Cindy said from the chair adjacent to the bed. Hopefully Libby wouldn't ask what she'd been busy doing.

"What've you been busy with?" Libby inquired.

Puking Pluto.

"Oh, um… Well, college scholarships and all that." Cindy said hastily.

"Ugh. Boring." Libby groaned. "Oh! I know something interesting we could talk about – boys!"

Cindy flushed.

"I see you blushing! Who is it you like now? Or are you are you still on Nick? Because honestly, Cin, he's really not very much to look at anymore – Oh! I know!" Libby perked up, giving Cindy a knowing eye.

_Oh crap_, Cindy thought, _she's found out!_

"Henry, from AP Bio, right?" Libby smirked.

"YES! I mean, um, yes. You've got me. I have a major thing for Henry." Cindy spat out, relieved.

"I _knew_ I saw you flirting with him the other day. I think he likes you too, Cin. I could _totally_ set you guys up!" Libby squealed.

"That's _really_ not necessary –"

"Oh, don't worry, girl. I _love_ doing this sort of thing."

"I know." Cindy mumbled as she slumped in her seat.

..^^^..

Cindy meandered over to the lab the following evening wondering whether or not she should inform Neutron of Libby's plans. He wouldn't understand. She _had_ to tell Libby she liked Henry. Who knows who Libby would have asked about next! It could very well have been Jimmy! And Cindy wasn't sure she would have been able to keep her composure in that situation. She seriously doubted Neutron would understand though. He already didn't like Henry; this would hardly help. She walked up to the door.

D-W-E-E-B-T-R-O-N

When she landed on the cushion in the lab, Cindy felt a little nauseous – and it wasn't from the drop down. Neutron stood a few feet away from her by his computer.

"Salutations!" he called out to her, "I have something magnificent!"

"That's great Jimmy, but I have to tell you –"

"Not yet!" he cut her off, "Behold! Actual movies!" Jimmy held out a small stack of DVDs.

Cindy looked up at Jimmy's smiling face. She saw a sincere look – he really wanted her to be happy with the DVDs. She glanced down at them. October Sky and Apollo 13. Typical of Neutron to pick out dorky science movies. Though, if she was being honest, she enjoyed science movies almost as much as he did. She looked back up at the pathetic smile that she would have wanted to punch off him just a few weeks ago. Now her stomach squirmed with guilt. She put on a smile for his sake.

"Well, at least we have _something _to do now." She punched his arm, but he was positively beaming.

"Which one do you want to watch?" He asked.

"October Sky." She said definitively. She'd never tell anyone except Nerdtron that October Sky was one of her favorite movies.

Wait, what? When did she become comfortable enough with Freak Boy to let him see her slightly more nerdy side? Sometimes this relationship scared her. To hate someone for so long… and then, all of a sudden, she's watching movies in his lab. The intimacy of it was frightening. Cindy wasn't used to being close to _anyone_. She tried not to think about it.

She sat down on the couch as he put in the DVD. He plopped down on the couch right next to her. She sat up, very stiff, as he leaned over and put his arm around her. What was he doing? This was very… strange. Was he… cuddling… with her? Cuddling? Cindy Vortex rarely cuddled. In fact, she _never _cuddled.

"Are you okay?" Jimmy inquired.

"Mmhmm." She responded awkwardly.

It was different when they kissed. They were close, but not _intimate_. This snuggly-ness was very innocent. Too innocent. It felt _fake_ to her. It was a boy with his arm around a girl; it was a movie cliché. After a few uncomfortable minutes into the movie, Neutron did what he does best and made it worse. He fell asleep on her shoulder.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF ADA LOVELACE WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT?

Her eyes were wide as she stared straight ahead, wondering what to do. Should she wake him up? Probably not. But this moment was so private, so personal… it felt like something two people in _love_ would do. And hell would freeze over before Cindy Vortex admitted she loved _anyone_. Especially Nerdtron. She had accepted a long time ago that she wasn't the loveable sort and that love was really more of hormonal imbalance than a magical feeling. So she decided the snuggling had to be stopped immediately. She rolled her shoulder so that Jimmy's head slid off and she stood up.

"Huh?" he shook his head and looked up, "Cindy? Where are you going?"

"I have to leave." She said without emotion.

"Why?"

"Because Libby is trying to set me up with Henry, you fell asleep on my shoulder, and my last bobby pin broke this morning so now I have to buy new ones!"

"What?" he asked, completely bewildered.

"You're supposed to hate me!" She clenched her fists.

"I know. And I'm trying to keep up appearances with our friends. I'm sorry if I'm not doing a satisfactory job –"

"No! You can't be sorry!" She yelled. "You're supposed to hate me even when we're not with our friends!"

"Yeah, but that kind of stopped a while ago –"

"You can't just _snuggle_ with me like that!"

"Why not?" Jimmy asked, confused, "You're my girlfriend."

"Don't SAY that! We are hiding in your lab so our friends don't ridicule us because _we're supposed to hate each other_! That's not a relationship!"

"Are you saying you want to go _public_ with the Operation?" Jimmy looked horrified.

"No! I'm saying that I _can't_ be in a relationship. Not a real one, anyway."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know! We'll talk about this later. I have to go."

She ran home.

..^^^..

Jimmy fiddled around with his fork at the dinner table, not eating any of his mother's meticulously made pasta. What in Galileo's name had he done wrong this time? Cindy was so confusing. One minute they were really happy together and the next they were screaming. This was one of the very few things Jimmy Neutron would ever admit to not understanding.

"Are you going to eat your food, sweetie?" Mrs. Neutron inquired, eyeing her son concernedly.

"I haven't decided yet." He replied morosely, staring at his plate.

"What's the matter, Jimmy?" Mrs. Neutron prompted.

"Nothing."

"Oh. Well, it just seemed like you were…" she trailed off.

"You look as depressed as a duck out of water, Jim Jam." Mr. Neutron added as he slurped up his pasta.

"I'm fine. Just, you know, tired." He replied. "I think I'm going to skip dinner and head down to the lab. I have a…project to work on."

"Oh… okay. Just know that if there's anything wrong, you can always talk to us!" Mrs. Neutron called after him as he left the room.

Jimmy descended into the lab, pensive. He felt like he should be mad at Cindy, but he wasn't. He only felt sick to his stomach. _Why_, he asked himself. He felt like he was nervous, as if he were under pressure that his life depended on. He thought long and hard about it, and he realized that he wasn't angry because any other emotion was overtaken by anxiety. He was nervous that Cindy might break up with him.

He didn't know why it should pester him so much. Sure, the relationship might have grown over the last few weeks, but did he ever really expect this to last? How could they keep up the secret for much longer? Their relationship wasn't built on anything stable.

But the thought of it ending… When he really analyzed himself, he found he'd rather that everyone know about them – he'd rather everyone constantly mock him – than give up their relationship completely. Cindy _really_ mattered to him. She'd snuck up on his life, and she now accounted for a large chunk of it. He'd been very complacent and happy with his life before Cindy came in. However, now that she was so deeply woven in, he couldn't imagine being without his girlfriend, his best friend, his equal.

Did he… love Cindy?

..^^^..

"Man, I hate not having Jimmy in our classes anymore." Sheen said as he set up the camera in Carl's yard the following day, a sunny Saturday. "We have to do all the projects by ourselves!"

"Yeah. And I don't understand physics at all. We're going to fail it anyway." Carl added, dejected.

"Don't say that, dude! I need this grade! I'm already failing Pre-calculus." Sheen snapped.

"It's your fault for taking on-level math. You should have done conceptual Algebra 3 with me." Carl stated. "But we can try. I'm not guaranteeing anything, though."

"There." Sheen said as he finished adjusting the camera and tripod. "Now we can just set it to tape and we can record the average velocity or whatever of passing cars."

"Okay. But can we not put it in plain sight? My dad doesn't want his lawn reputation to be tarnished." Carl suggested.

"Sure." Sheen picked up the equipment and placed it in some bushes at the corner of the Wheezer's yard. "It's at a bit of an angle now, but it'll probably still work."

"Alright." Carl approved. "You want to go to the Candy Bar?"

"Sure. Let me just get this recording." Sheen pressed the red button. "Okay! LET'S GET SOME CANDY!"

..^^^..

Jimmy was sitting in his living room watching TV. When were he and Cindy going to talk? He simultaneously wanted to – so that if they were okay they could return to their usual activities – and also didn't want to in the case that she wanted to end it. He looked out the window to the pink house across the street.

There, sitting on her porch steps, was Cindy Vortex.

Jimmy froze even though he knew she couldn't see him. What should he do? Should he go over there and talk to her now? Or should he avoid her? He pondered for a long time, never taking his eyes off her. In the end, he decided to get it over with. He had to talk to her eventually. Better now than later.

Jimmy strolled out of his house and crossed the street. She heard him coming and looked up.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey."

"You said you wanted to talk." Jimmy stated.

"Yeah, I know. I don't think now is a good time, though." She stood up to go back inside.

"Wait." She turned back around to face him. Jimmy closed the space between them and placed his lips on hers.

Across the street, a camera lost power.

Cindy pushed him off.

"What are you DOING?" We're in the middle of the street! Outside! Anyone could see us!"

"I don't care." He said indignantly.

"Well, I do! And that's the problem, Jimmy! This relationship isn't real once we leave your lab! It was just a little thing that was never meant to last – an outlet for our frustrations with each other! We can't start acting like a real couple! It's too complicated and confusing – we've completely misplaced ourselves." She turned around to go back inside.

"Wait!" Jimmy called out. Cindy whipped her head around.

"Are you going to try to kiss me again?" she snapped, angrily.

"No, not unless you want me to." Jimmy stared at her. "Cindy, I think I love you."

Cindy froze on her porch steps, frightened to death.

..^^^..

"LIBBY FREAKING FOLFAX!" Sheen screamed into the phone.

"What is it, Sheen?"

"It's my physics project! You HAVE to come see this!"

"Sheen, I'm sure your physics project is very interesting, but…"

"No, Libby, you HAVE to come see this!"

"Okay, fine." Libby hung up the phone.

She arrived at Sheen's house a few minutes later. She walked up to the door and rang the bell. Sheen flung the door open and grabbed Libby's wrist. He yanked her into his house and down the hallway.

"OUCH! Sheen!" Libby protested.

He brought her into Mr. Estevez's office where Carl sat at a computer. On the screen was a video of Carl, Cindy, and Jimmy's street, Cindy's house the main feature in the shot.

"Okay," Sheen began, breathless, "so we have to record the velocity of cars in our neighborhood, right? So we just have to get a couple hours' worth of film and then measure it, right?"

"Um, sure, Sheen…" Libby replied, slightly frightened.

"You will NEVER believe what he caught on film." Sheen skipped to the last few minutes of the four hour video. "What I'm about to show you may cause you to experience shock or heart failure."

"Oh, just play it, Sheen!" Libby groaned, expecting some stupid footage of Carl dressed up as Bigfoot or something.

Instead, Cindy was sitting on her porch outside looking fairly melancholy. Jimmy approached from across the street. They exchanged a few words before Jimmy kissed her – deeply – and she kissed back. The video froze.

"WHAT?" Libby shrieked.

"That's when the camera turned off." Sheen explained the halt in footage.

"WHAT?"

"It ran out of batteries –"

"I KNOW! BUT, WHAT?"

..^^^..

Libby stormed over to Cindy's house. Mrs. Vortex answered the door.

"Is Cindy home?"

"Cynthia is in her room."

"Thank you. May I go up?"

"Certainly, Liberty."

Libby hated when Mrs. Vortex used her full name. But that was of little consequence at the current moment. Libby burst through into Cindy's room. Cindy was lying on her bed, expressionless.

"Hey, Libs. Can we hang out some other time? I feel sick." Cindy said, emotionless.

"You had _better_ feel sick! Keeping very important information from your best friend!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know about you and Jimmy! Carl and Sheen caught you guys on video. I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Libs –"

"I know your relationship with him is complicated and all that crap – it's actually not complicated at all, but the both of you are stubborn as anything – but I am your best friend! And I've seen this coming for _years_!"

"Libby –"

"You told me you liked Henry! I was going to set you up!"

"LIBBY!" Cindy shouted. "It doesn't matter!"

"It does too matter! This is a HUGE deal, girl! You guys could double date with Sheen and I maybe – you know, after I get over all the _betrayal_."

"No, it doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't matter because it's _over_. It doesn't matter because we broke up." Cindy's eyes were glossy with tears, but she didn't cry.

Vortexes never cried.

A/N: DUM DUM DUMMMMMM. So all the votes were in and it was a dramatic season finale! Now that the season's over, I have a few questions for everyone that I'd really appreciate you answering. You don't have to answer all of them, any answers will be helpful.

1. Since this wasn't very fluffy, would you guys like a maybe a short fluff piece I can put in between now and season two as a bonus chapter (the fluff would be from when they were still together. Obviously.)?  
>2. Now that the season is over, I'd like to know what things I did well. What was one of your favorite parts?<br>3. I also want to know what could use improvement. What were your least favorite parts?  
>4. Which characters were best developedrepresented?  
>5. Which characters were lacking?<br>6. Please feel free to give any other suggestions. Thanks!

Alright, and thusly, season 1 ends. I'll probably begin season 2 around mid June. Thanks to everyone - so much - for making this such a success! I love you all infinitely!Go ahead and review, and I'll see you in June!


	15. Cause and Effect

**A/N: Here we go, season 2! Enjoy everyone!**

_Jimmy stared at her. "Cindy, I think I love you."_

_ Cindy froze on her porch steps, frightened to death._

"You're supposed to say something." Jimmy smiled weakly, hoping he would cue a friendly argument from Cindy. She remained silent. "C'mon, Cindy! Just say something! It won't kill you."

"Jimmy, you don't understand-"

"I seriously doubt you understand something I don't." He snapped, getting a little angry.

"Ugh! Haven't you been listening to _anything_ I've been saying?"

"Yes!"

"I don't think so! Jimmy, I don't love you. I don't love anyone. Everything we've been doing isn't real. It isn't a real relationship, and this isn't real love. In fact, there's no such thing as real love! You know it and I know it! I mean, c'mon, Jimmy! We're both intellectual people. You can't seriously believe in love." Cindy stepped toward him. Jimmy's anger soared.

"Oh _please_, Vortex! Why are you always so angry and cynical? Just because someone is smarter than you doesn't mean you can go around yelling at people and pushing them around! That's all you ever do! You act like you're this hard, rock solid person who doesn't care about emotions. Guess what? You're _not_! You just want attention!" Jimmy yelled. Cindy's eyes welled up.

"Well, I didn't love you before, but after _that _speech, why don't we just get FREAKING married!" Cindy bellowed. She paused for a second before looking him directly in the eye. "We are SO beyond over! Get off my property, get out of my sight, and get out of my life!" Cindy stormed inside her house.

Jimmy groaned loudly and stomped over to his lab.

..^^^..

Carl sighed exasperatedly as he stirred his root beer float in the Candy Bar two weeks later.

"Tell me about it, dude." Sheen rested his head on his hand.

"C'mon, guys! It hasn't been so bad!" Libby prompted.

"Libby, we have been to the Candy Bar _every day_ for the last week! _I'm_ getting sick of the candy!" Sheen began banging his head on the table.

"He's only ever been like this once before." Carl whispered into Libby's ear. "The Great Fracture of '09. Sheen broke his leg and couldn't walk for three weeks. No sciencey adventures."

"Well, Sheen, our lives aren't _completely _dependent on Jimmy. I'm sure we can figure out something to do! I mean, not everyone has a super genius for a friend. What do those people do?" Libby asked.

"We don't know!" Carl and Sheen said simultaneously before bursting into melodramatic sobs. She tried comforting them, but the sobbing only worsened. Finally, she gave up and crossed her arms, sitting in the middle of two pathetically crying teenage boys.

"I miss Jimmy's adventures, too." she huffed.

..^^^..

"Cynthia! Don't forget about Tae Kwon Do this afternoon!" Mrs. Vortex called up.

"Yes, Mother!" Cindy responded from her room before rolling her eyes. Her mother would _never_ stop trying to control her life. Man, she couldn't wait to go to college.

Cindy tightened her black belt around her waist and looked at her reflection in the mirror. _Ready to kick butt_. She smiled to herself, threw a few punches into the air, and them headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to get her bag. Her mother, as always, sat at the table.

"Be back no later than five o'clock, Cynthia." She said as she read the paper, not looking up."

"Of course, Mother." Cindy replied obediently as she walked out.

"Cynthia?" Mrs. Vortex called.

"Yes?" Cindy stopped and turned around.

"Your face looks rather blotchy. No concealer today?"

"Well, no, Mother. I'm going to the dojo. Not much need of it." Cindy tried to smile.

"Oh, believe me, dear. There is a _great_ need of it. I won't let you leave this house without looking your absolute best." Mrs. Vortex smiled back. "Now hurry on upstairs and fix yourself up. I'll see you at five."

"Yes, Mother."

It wasn't long before Cindy was back downstairs and exiting the house.

"Love you, honey. Remember to be back at five!" Mrs. Vortex called out to her daughter once more.

"Yes, Mother. I love you too, Mother." Cindy shut the door behind her and paused to compose her anger on the porch. She sighed loudly. Like her mother actually knew what love was. Maybe, if Sasha Vortex were actually capable of love, she wouldn't have needed a divorce. Cindy glanced across the street. That idiot. Her face wouldn't have been so 'blotchy' if she hadn't been crying.

She shouldn't have cried in the first place, anyway. After all, there was no such thing as love.

..^^^..

It was really difficult to be a properly morose teenager when Jimmy couldn't even look at his window despairingly. He'd tried a few times, but all he could see was that Pepto-Bismol pink house. Ironically, it made him want to vomit. He'd retreated down to his lab instead. The scientific work, however, had been limited.

Jimmy lay sprawled across the couch as he watched October Sky for what was probably the twentieth time that week. He wasn't paying much attention to it, though. In fact, he wasn't paying much attention to anything at all. He just stared at the screen thinking of nothing - something Jimmy Neutron never did.

Goddard raised his head so that it stood between Jimmy and the screen. He whimpered softly. Jimmy moaned angrily.

"Goddard! Move your head!" Jimmy swatted the air pathetically with his hand as a gesture for Goddard to move.

Goddard barked twice and raised his own screen for viewing.

GODDARD IS CONCERNED FOR MASTER.

"I'm fine. Now get out of the way!" Jimmy pouted.

WHY DOESN'T MASTER INVENT SOMETHING NEW?

"Because I haven't thought of anything lately. Just let me watch the movie!"

GODDARD THINKS THAT MASTER HAS LITERALLY NOT THOUGHT OF ANYTHING LATELY.

"Goddard!"

Goddard began to prod Jimmy with his head.

"Alright, alright! I'll get up! But I really haven't had any new ideas. And I've already finished this month's homework." Jimmy said as he got off the couch.

IS THIS BECAUSE OF CINDY?

Goddard cocked his head to the side.

"What? NO! This has nothing to do with the she-demon."

THEN WHY CAN"T MASTER THINK?

"I don't know! It's probaby...like... a spaghetti withdrawal. Mom hasn't made it in a while." Jimmy answered pathetically. Goddard barked as a response.

YOU SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO HER.

"That will NEVER happen. Even if I was upset about her, which I'm _not_, I'm not apologizing. You see, Goddard, "Jimmy mocked Cindy's voice, "she doesn't know what _love_ is. So I doubt she'd recognize forgiveness or compassion!"

YOU SHOULD APOLOGIZE TO HER.

"You know, sometimes I think I should repair your hearing adapters." Goddard barked and panted happily. Jimmy smiled back. "You lousy hunk of metal." he said jovially.

Suddenly, Vox's Possible Girl-Intruder Alarm began to sound. Jimmy heart skipped a beat as he turned around to the screen. However, it wasn't an angry blond girl. It was Libby. She walked up and knocked on the lab door.

"Jimmy! It's Libby! We need to talk!"

Jimmy let her in and she fell to the hard floor.

"Ouch! Sheen told me you got a cushion! I wasn't ready for that!" she put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry. I shredded the cushion." Jimmy responded without emotion.

"Oh, um, okay." Libby said, sensing that was a delicate matter.

"Look, I know what you're here to talk about, and I don't want to hear it -"

"I'm not here to talk about Cindy. I agree with you on that whole ordeal, anyway. I'm here to talk about you." Libby shrugged.

"Wait, you _agree_ with me?"

"Yes, but remember, you don't want to hear it." she smiled. "Jimmy, you've got to start being yourself again. It'll be good for you to do some research or invent something new."

"Thanks for the advice, Libby, but I can handle myself." Jimmy folded his arms. Libby stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

"No, Jimmy, you can't. You've barely left your lab in two weeks except to go to school. You need a friend. And I don't belong exclusively to Cindy." She smiled at him. "Besides, Carl and Sheen are driving me nuts without any crazy adventures to keep them occupied." Jimmy laughed weakly.

"Now _that_ I can understand." He smiled back. "Libby Folfax, I promise you the best adventure yet!"

..^^^..

Cindy was almost to her driveway at 4:58 when she saw Libby leaving the idiot's house. She waved her over.

"What were you doing at Dweebtron's house?" Cindy asked, trying to sound casual.

"Sheen asked me to drop off his hat. He left it at my house." Libby fibbed. She didn't like to lie, but neither did she think Cindy would like her actual reasons.

"Oh." Cindy nodded. "Did you want to come over for dinner or something?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just call my mom." Libby whipped out her cell.

They walked into Cindy house together after Mrs. Folfax gave her approval.

"It's 5:02, Cynthia. I'm disappointed." Mrs. Vortex said as she heard the door open.

"I'm sorry, Mother." Cindy rolled her eyes for Libby.

"Hi, Mrs. V!" Libby said congenially.

"Hello, Liberty. And it's Mrs. _Vortex_, please, dear."

"Sorry!" Libby waved at her from the door way and then turned to Cindy to whisper, "And it's _Libby_, please, dear." The giggled quietly.

"Can Libby stay over tonight, Mother?" Cindy asked.

"I'm not sure, dear. You were late this evening..."

"It's my fault, Mrs. Vortex." Libby interjected. "Cindy bumped into me on her way home."

"Very well, then. Cynthia, come here please."

"Meet you upstairs, Libs." Cindy said as she walked over to her mother. "Yes?"

"Cynthia, that girl has been slowing you down for years. You're graduating this year, and I want you to slowly lose touch with that girl in college."

"Mother! She's my best friend -"

"It's final. You'd probably be first in your class if you hadn't spent so much time giggling like at school girl with Liberty."

"But Mother, I _am_ a school girl -"

"No buts. And I never want you to be late coming home again. This is the last time."

"Yes, Mother."

"Alright, dear. Now go have fun." Mrs. Vortex smiled. "I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mother."

..^^^..

Cindy opened her door to find Libby digging through her closet. She turned to smile at Cindy.

"You seriously need a fashion makeover, girl. You dress like a librarian." Libby laughed.

Cindy thought about whether or not she should tell Libby what her mother said. She didn't plan on obeying her mother, but Mrs. Vortex always seemed to have way of finding out about these things. Cindy pushed it to the back of her mind and smiled back.

"Oh? I'm offended." Cindy said in mock anger.

"You don't have any karate-whatever-it-is stuff on Saturdays, right? We can go shopping tomorrow."

"Sounds great." Cindy plopped down onto the bed. Suddenly, the power went out. A bright light flashed from outside. The girls rushed to the window. There was smoke and flashing green lights coming from the clubhouse across the street.

"Looks like Jimmy's back to his usual stuff." Libby grinned and went back to Cindy's closet.

"Sure does." Cindy lingered at the window for a moment, captivated by the light.

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was short and there wasn't any adventure, but I felt that the emotions from the last episode needed to be addressed. But remember - Jimmy has promised the best adventure ever for next episode and I want to devote an entire chapter (or maybe two) to it! :) Alright, well, thanks for reading, reviews are incredibly appreciated (I especially like when you talk about specific things you liked/disliked - it really helps) and I will try to update by next week! LOVE YOU BYE!**


	16. The Once and Future Genius Part One

"Welcome, comrades!" Jimmy announced as his friends walked forward from where they fell into the lab. "A spectacular adventure awaits!"

"Alright! Finally! LET THE MINDLESS VIOLENCE BEGIN!" Sheen jumped up and down nearly knocking over a shelf of Jimmy's tools.

"Well, not quite yet, Sheen –"

"WHAT? Jimmy, why do you taunt me so?" Sheen fell to his knees dramatically.

"I'm not taunting you. I'll be done by tomorrow, but I needed you all to come in so I could take some measurements." Jimmy smiled excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know, Jimmy. Tape measures scare me… you know, the ones that snap back in? What if my clothes get caught on the metal-end-thingy and _I _get snapped in?" Carl whined pathetically, clutching his face.

"Wait a minute." Libby interrupted. "Where's Cindy?" An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the three of them stared at Jimmy.

"What – I – ugh – _Libby_? Is that really a necessary question?" Jimmy stuttered awkwardly.

"_Yes_. She's part of the group. You promised me an adventure, and I'm not going just to be with three dorky guys."

"Hey!" Sheen shouted.

"Oh, fine, _two_ dorky guys and my dorky boyfriend." Libby conceded.

"That's better." Sheen smiled, but the realization dawned on him. "Now wait a minute –"

"Jimmy, just because the two of you broke up –" Libby began.

"There was nothing to break off!" Jimmy corrected indignantly.

"- doesn't mean we can't all have fun together. You need to get used to her being around anyway. Whenever she walks by at school you look like a constipated Chihuahua before you run away as fast as you can." Libby rolled her eyes.

"Hey!"

"It's only the truth. Now, I'm going to call Cindy and tell her to come over. Prepare yourself. Think more 'confident lone wolf' and less 'terrified toy dog'." Libby turned decisively and went outside to call. Sheen laughed riotously.

"Ha! Dude! My girlfriend just totally shut you _down_!" Sheen and Carl could barely contain their laughter. Jimmy just rubbed his forehead.

..^^^..

Tai Chi really did help Cindy feel better. She let herself be calm as she performed the slow, flowing steps and listened to the soft music playing from her iPod speaker. With her window slightly cracked, she watched her bedroom curtains flow softly in the light breeze. _Breathe in, breathe out_, she repeated to herself internally as she gently stepped back and forth, rolling her shoulders as her arms –

RINNNNGGGGGGG.

Cindy felt the familiar hot wave of her usual anger flow from her toes to where it boiled in her head. Her brow furrowed tightly as she narrowed her eyes and stared at the phone in the corner. It continued to make the grating sound.

RINNNNGGGGGGG.

Cindy clenched her fists until her knuckles whitened. So much for relaxing. She stomped over to the phone and picked it up.

"This had _better_ be important." She seethed.

"Oh, it is." A familiar voice answered. Cindy let herself relax.

"Hi, Libs." Cindy greeted, her anger abating as she sat down on her bed.

"Hey. So, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out."

"Well, you did already interrupt my scheduled Tai Chi hour…"

"Oh, sorry! I didn't know!"

"Whatever. I guess it's okay if you buy me some lunch." Cindy smiled.

"Deal."

"Alright. So, where are you?"

"Well, I'm actually across the street. We're all in the lab."

"LIBBY!" Cindy stood up quickly, "There is no way that I'm going over _there_."

"Oh, c'mon, Cindy! It'll be fun, I promise!"

"As much fun as it is for me to see Nerdtron practically pee his pants every time I see him in school, this is my weekend! I'd prefer to keep the awkward at a minimum. And even if Jimmy and I…well…even if we hadn't done anything…that would be really hard with King Cranium!"

"I think he's really over it, Cin! He told me to invite you. He doesn't seem bothered by the break-up at all today."

"There was nothing to break off!" Cindy automatically retorted before processing the rest of what Libby said. "Wait…you said he doesn't care?"

"Nope. Doesn't seem like it. Do you care?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Good. Then get your butt over here!"

There was a click as Libby hung up. Cindy stared at it for a few seconds before slamming it on her bedside table. She was about to rush over there when she realized she was still in her martial arts robes. She quickly dug through her closet for something presentable. She put on a pair of skinny jeans and a tight sweater. A few touches to her hair and a dab of make-up and she was out the door.

He didn't care? Well, neither did she.

..^^^..

Libby plopped back down into the lab.

"She's on her way." She smiled.

"Ugh! Really? I thought she would have had the shame to refuse." Jimmy rushed over to his titanium lab table and attempted to smooth his hair in the reflection. "Like, like, who does she think she is, coming over here?" He examined his teeth for any remains of his breakfast.

"I invited her." Libby looked at him in disbelief.

"Well, I thought she might be sensible! But, ha! Who am I kidding? She's so nonsensical, it's infuriating! Maddening!" He straightened his shirt.

"Alright, well, Jimmy's crazy." Sheen eyed him nervously.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'm _waiting_!" the familiar shrill voice called from outside. Jimmy stared at the entry button for a second before pressing it.

Cindy thought to tense her legs as she fell down the tube. She hit the floor, rolled over herself and stood up, all in one fluid motion. She raised her head to look at Jimmy. He tried very hard to be the 'confident lone wolf'.

"Hey, Cindy." Carl, Sheen, and Libby said simultaneously.

"Hey." She responded, her gaze never leaving Jimmy.

"I-I see you anticipated the lack of cushion." Jimmy spat out.

"Oh, you noticed?" she replied sarcastically. Silence hung in the air.

"Oookay." Sheen stopped the quiet. "The adventure, Jimmy?"

"Wh- Right! Yes! I need all of your basic measurements."

"For what?" Cindy raised an eyebrow.

"For this!" Jimmy pulled down a screen containing designs for what looked like clothing. Specifically, medieval style clothing. There was one model of a knight's suit of armor, another for a princess's gown, and several others.

"If your idea of an adventure is a Renaissance Fair, I am _so_ out of here!" Cindy scoffed.

"Um, _no_, Vortex. Wrong, as usual. These aren't just costumes. They're specially designed to be powerful armor! Even the dress. You want adventure? Well, how does a _quest_ sound? We're off to find The Holy Grail!" Jimmy beamed.

"You mean, like go back in time?" Carl asked weakly.

"Of course!" Jimmy gestured to the old Time Booth. "I made a few adjustments. Now it can travel through space – so we can get to the United Kingdom – and it also has more space inside to fit all of us!"

"Um, hello, Captain Dorkface! The Holy Grail is a _legend_. We'll never find it. It doesn't exist." Cindy snapped.

"I know that, Vortex! Haven't you ever heard that the fun is in the _journey_? And what better journey to take? It's probably the most famous adventure ever." Jimmy turned to Goddard, who was sleeping under the desk. "Alright, boy! Command S, file name: Tailor."

Goddard barked eagerly and opened his hatch to reveal two mechanical hands and a long roll of tape measure. He quickly went to each person, holding the yellow tape up to them from every angle and spinning them around to get head and waist measurements. He finished within a minute and trotted happily back to Jimmy.

"Good boy!" Jimmy patted his dog's head before turning to his friends. "See you tomorrow for the quest!"

The four of them left the lab, frazzled and dizzy.

..^^^..

Cindy waited patiently at her window the following morning. There was no way she was going to be the first one to arrive at the lab. She'd rather avoid that uncomfortable moment, thank you very much. If Libby was going to make her go on this blasted adventure, she was going to try as hard as she could to prevent awkward situations. She felt strangely creepy as she glared down at the club house from the gap in her blinds. She had, admittedly, stared at his house many times in the past, especially in her younger days when she had actually used binoculars. But now, given the recent events, the repetition of this particular action was bizarre.

She spotted Carl and Sheen walking down the street together. She had told herself when she first began leering out the window this morning that she would go in as soon as someone else came. However…now she thought it best to wait for Libby.

Libby came strolling down the block not long after. Instead of walking to Jimmy's clubhouse, though, she walked up Cindy's driveway and stepped up unto the porch.

"What the…" Cindy said to herself. The doorbell rang. Cindy went downstairs to open the door for her best friend.

"Hey, Cindy." She smiled.

"Hey. Um…why are you _here_, Libbs? Aren't we meeting across the street?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, but I knew you'd chicken out and be here."

"What?" Cindy stared at her, confused. Libby rolled her eyes.

"You know, sometimes I think you and Jimmy are the stupidest people in Retroville. Scratch that, the world. Let's go, Cin." Libby waved and began walking across the street.

"Whatever!" Cindy called after her as she shut the door and ran to catch up.

..^^^..

"Nice of you to join us." Jimmy jeered as the girls came in.

"Cindy's fault." Libby said casually.

"Hey!" Cindy scowled.

"Can the mindless violence begin _now_?" Sheen asked hopefully.

"Almost." Jimmy answered with a smile. "Behold, your hand-crafted armor!" Jimmy gestured to a clothes rack in back of him. He walked over and thumbed through the outfits. "For Carl," he began, grabbing a hanger, "a friar's robe." He handed the thick brown garb to Carl.

"I was a pretty good fry cook at McSpanky's." Carl said happily.

"For Sheen," Jimmy continued, "a court jester's costume."

"How do you wear this thing?" Sheen yelled as he tried to put his hat on straight, its bells jingling with every twitch of his body.

"For Libby, a lady's gown."

"Oh, purple is _so_ my color!" Libby exclaimed happily as she admired the silky lavender dress.

"For _Cindy_, a milkmaid's frock."

"Nerdtron!" she yelled as she fondled the apron and cap.

"And for me, a knight's chainmail and vestments!"

"Yeah, my knight in shining armor." Cindy mumbled sarcastically as she felt the rough burlap fabric of her skirt.

"Now, these may seem like your everyday medieval clothes," Jimmy grinned, "but they're so much more. The fabric of even Libby's dress is sewn with a special metallic thread that is flexible, yet as strong as a shield. Each outfit is a full-fledged suit of armor."

"Awesome!" Sheen shouted as he punched himself, "I can't feel a thing!"

"And now, the weapons!" Jimmy placed a box of medieval weapons on the table.

"Oooh! A bow and arrows! I did archery at Girl Scout camp once!" Libby called as she grabbed her weapon.

"This kinda looks like a pet rock on a leash…" Carl began as he took one.

"That's a mace, Carl. And that's no pet rock." Jimmy laughed.

"I WANT THE POINTY STICK!" Sheen bellowed as he grabbed a spear.

"And I'll –" Jimmy started.

"I don't think so, Freakboy!" Cindy yelled as she stepped in to grab the obtruding sword. She quickly slid her foot across Jimmy's ankle and knocked him to the ground. She pointed the sword at his face. "This one's mine. I dub it, Excali-HER." Cindy beamed as she backed off of Jimmy.

"Vortex! Now is not time for your feminist squabbles! If you take the sword, that means I have to take the club!" Jimmy pulled the small bat out of the box.

"It's okay, Nerdtron. They say your greatest weapon," Cindy twirled the sword in the air, "is your mind."

"Fine!" Jimmy said over Cindy's laughter. "C'mon everybody! Into the Time Booth!" They all went to change into their armor.

..^^^..

The five of them all fit in comfortably now with the extra room and seats Jimmy had installed. "Alright! Setting the place: Wales, United Kingdom. Time: 1019. Here we go!" The Time Booth started to hum and shake. A loud buzzing kept building and building until there was a great bang. There was a flash of light followed by silence.

"Are we there yet?" Sheen whispered.

Jimmy walked to the front of the Time Booth and opened the door a crack. In came the sounds of a forest. Jimmy opened the door all the way. Before them was a great and sprawling forest. And, in the distance, a majestic stone castle.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to medieval Wales, the birthplace of Arthurian legend." Jimmy said as he stepped out. The four other followed out, treading carefully as if it couldn't be real.

"Jimmy, this looks like every other patch of trees I've ever gone to!" Sheen complained. "WHERE'S THE ACTION?"

"That way." Jimmy pointed to the castle with his club. "C'mon, guys! Let's go." His friends followed him into the wood.

"J-J-Jimmy!" Carl stammered, "You d-don't think there are b-b-bears or anything out here, right?"

"Well, of course there are, Carl!" Jimmy responded. Carl screamed in terror. "But don't worry! That's what the armor and weapons are for! No bear could break through the Carbonium fabric I used."

"Oh, good." Carl said, relieved.

"Hey, we're almost to the castle now!" Libby called, seeing a stone wall up ahead.

"Do you guys hear that?" Cindy asked. The group stopped walking and listened. Without the crunching of their feet on the forest ground, they could hear faint screaming from the direction of the castle.

"That sounds like a _lot_ of people shouting." Libby remarked.

"What if there's a battle? Or a plague? Or DRAGONS?" Sheen began listing off the various gruesome possibilities.

"Well, I don't know about a battle or a plague," Jimmy said, "But there's no such thing as –"

RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOAAAARRRR!

The roar grumbled loudly through the air above them, and a gust of wind flew through the forest along with the sound of enormous flapping wings.

**A/N: The quest shall continue next week! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last week, as always. I love you guys. :) I apologize for the seriousness of the last couple chapters (specifically, my mother was making me mad last week :P). This will be much lighter and fun. Make sure to leave me with your thoughts on this chapter. I can't wait to continue their medieval escapades. See you then!**


	17. The Once and Future Genius Part Two

**A/N: Wow, guys. Hey. I'm so sorry that it's been so long. I just started college and... it all went nuts! Well, it's the summer now, and I have no more excuses. I reccomend reading the previous chapter again before you dive in here because the do go together and it's been so long. Please enjoy!**

RRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!

Jimmy, Cindy, Carl, Sheen, and Libby all gasped in unison as a gigantic dragon flew overhead. Only, this was no ordinary dragon. Its scales should have shone in the sunlight, but instead smooth, metallic gold plating was gleaming.

"Why must I always be right?" Sheen groaned in agony, assured that dragons did exist and that he was about to be eaten by one.

"Quiet!" Libby put her hand over his mouth. The dragon didn't seem to notice them and continued flying away toward a section of large hills in the distance.

"That was no dragon." Jimmy stepped forward and squinted at the dissipating form of the creature in the distance. "Did you see the metal work? It was a _machine_."

"Please tell me you didn't bring us to some alternate steampunk universe." Cindy grumbled.

"Of course not! Besides, steampunk it typically more associated with the Victorian Era." Jimmy asserted. "However, that machine was very large, very complicated and very well put together. I have a feeling we aren't the only time travelers here."

"Well, this was fun, but I think my mom is calling me for supper." Carl put his hand to his ear as if straining to hear his mother's grating voice. "Yeah, definitely her, I'll see you guys-"

"Carl, your mother won't be born for hundreds of years." Libby scorned. Cindy turned toward the castle and pointed with her sword.

"We should see if anyone's hurt. Maybe we can find out what's happening here." She suggested. Jimmy nodded, reluctantly agreeing to her plan.

"Onward!" he called as the trudged toward the charred stone walls.

..^^^..

When they reached the wall, they had to follow it down for a little while before reaching a gate. Jimmy had expected guards, but the found the gigantic wooden doors opened and unmanned. In fact, one of the doors was nearly completely burned through.

"I'm guessing our time travelling dragon friend isn't really all that friendly." Libby assessed as she passed through the gate.

The town surrounding the castle proper seemed deserted. No one was in sight. Smoke rose gently over several burned cottages and the stench of burnt hay was thick in the air.

"Definitely not friendly." Sheen agreed as he raised his spear.

"Hello?" Cindy called, "Is anyone here? We're travelers! I can help with your injured!"

"Cindy!" Jimmy hissed.

"What? I took a sports medicine class for camp counseling last summer. I can certainly wrap a bandage." She hissed back.

"No, you idiot!" Jimmy slapped his hand to his forehead, "They probably can't understand you very well. They'll speak Old English and maybe partially Middle English at best. The language is still developing. Did you ever try to read the original text of _Beowulf_?"

"I knew that!" Cindy said defensively. "It would be pretty close to German then, right?"

Jimmy nodded.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing Grandma Weber was too stubborn to learn English then." Cindy turned back toward the town. "_Hallo? Guten tag_!"

A few heads peeked out from behind doors. Cindy beamed.

"Who's the _dummkopf_ now, Nerdtron?" Cindy sneered.

..^^^..

After a very long time trying to communicate with the townspeople and help wrap bandages form some of the burn victims, Cindy returned to the gang, who were sitting by a smoldering fruit stand.

"What's going on?" Carl asked.

"Well, the communication was rough, dealing with some very stark differences between Old English and my knowledge of modern English and German, but I think I got the main ideas across. Libby," She turned to her friend, "I figured since you are dress in the finery here, that I'd say you were our host. You are the daughter of a rich man from somewhere very far away. We are escorting you south to meet with your betrothed."

"Hey!" Libby protested.

"What? It's extremely believable to these people. Plus, it stopped a lot of those town boys that were staring at you." Libby blushed. Cindy continued, but hesitantly, with a look of mild disgust on her face. "I told them that…that Dweebtron here is a very brave and capable knight. I would have told them I was the knight, but stench of patriarchy in this place is rancid. I told them you had volunteered to fight the dragon and save their town."

"I suppose the Holy Grail can wait a few hundred more years." He replied. "We'd better get going while we still have daylight. I saw the beast descend into the hills to the west. We'll look for it there."

Cindy walked over to exchange a few more words with the townspeople, and then the gang headed to the gates.

"Abidan!" A young, dirty, town boy ran after them. "Deorf! Cwen habban mid min aeolu."

"What is he saying?" Carl asked.

"There is danger…" Cindy struggled to translate. "The lady can stay with…"

"Aeolu!" he called gesturing back to his little cottage.

"I think he means his family." Cindy said as she saw his parents opening the door and gesturing to Libby. She looked at her friend seriously. "I think you need to stay Libs. They wouldn't expect a proper lady like yourself to go fight a dragon."

"I have to stay here by myself? I can't even speak their language."

"I'll stay with you, babe." Sheen stepped in. "I know the language of _love_."

"Sheen, this is serious." Libby pushed him, but Jimmy saw her give a small smile.

Jimmy turned and glared at Carl, begging with his eyes for his best friend to come and be a buffer between himself and Cindy. He sensed she was giving him the same look. Carl looked very nervous and tense; his eyes darted between Jimmy and Cindy.

"I JUST WANNA GO HOME!" he shouted and ran to be next to Sheen and Libby.

Jimmy sighed and forced himself to look over at Cindy. She was giving him a glare that he was pretty sure could scare the dragon off itself.

"Well?" she snapped impatiently, "Can we go now?"

Jimmy sighed again as the exited the gate together, a large gap of empty space between them.

..^^^..

They trampled through the fallen leaves on the floor of the forest; the crunching beneath them was the only sound that could be heard. Jimmy would glance up every once and a while to look at Cindy. She was faster than he was, and had therefore ended up in front of him, as if she were leading this quest. The thought made Jimmy slightly angry, but he had to admit that she looked pretty formidable in the front with her sword held out before her, so he kept quiet. That, and he _really_ didn't want to talk to her.

He hadn't been alone with Cindy since they decided to close up the Operation. It should have been strange to feel so distant, but it really wasn't. His relationship with Cindy had always seemed very distant, no matter how close they were physically. Everyone had always said they were so similar, but as he watched her climb over a fallen log in front of them, he felt that he didn't know who she was.

"So," Cindy broke the silence, looking back at Jimmy. He tried to pretend he hadn't been staring at her. "I figured we should probably talk about what the townspeople told me about this dragon we have to slay."

"Probably." Jimmy said casually.

"Well, they told me that the dragon has been coming on a pretty regular basis to the town and several surrounding villages. And he's not alone. He has a rider."

"Our time traveler."

"That's what I was thinking. They think he wants to be king. He captured the residents of the castle and the real king. The people are very upset. They say their king was kind and good. This time traveler has the building additions to the palace so he can move in. He comes around every once and a while to check on it. He is always dissatisfied, and he burns down their homes when he is not pleased." Cindy frowned.

"Well, we'll have to stop him." Jimmy decided. Cindy nodded solemnly and continued on. They were still a long way to the hills when the sun began to set.

"We should make camp." Jimmy said as he looked at the dimming sight of the hills.

"I hope you have the hypercube." Cindy remarked as she sat on a large rock.

"Always do." He said as he pulled out one of his earliest inventions and removed some sleeping bags and a large tent from inside.

"You maybe have a space heater in there?"

"No, sorry."

"Of course not." Cindy sighed. "I can make a fire."

Luckily, the ground was covered in debris like sticks and dry leaves that would be perfect for lighting a fire. Cindy assembled one rather quickly.

"I do have a lighter." Jimmy said as he tossed it over to where Cindy knelt in the underbrush. She lite the fire and sat there, warming herself, as Jimmy pitched the tent. He watched her face as is glowed in the light of the dancing flames.

"I have chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers." He told her.

"What?"

"For s'mores."

"Oh. No thanks." Cindy turned away again. Jimmy came over to the fire and sat down, but she immediately got up. "I'm tired." She stated, and hurried quickly into the tent.

"Okay." Jimmy said to no one. "I'll take the first watch, then, I suppose."

Jimmy made himself a s'more and thought of the last few months as he sat by the fire and listened to himself crunch on his lonely snack.

..^^^..

They woke up early and made it to the foot of the hills in a few short hours. As they trudged up the first mound, a cave in the nook between two hills a few miles away became visible.

"I think that's our place." Jimmy guessed with confidence, considering there seemed to be a metallic tail sticking out of it.

"Duh." Was all Cindy said as she picked up speed toward the large cavern.

They crept slowly toward the mouth of the cave once they got close. From the base, they could tell it was about twelve feet tall and around twenty wide. As they entered, they could hear the dull thudding of rap music. Cindy looked at Jimmy and mouthed, _Do you hear that_? He nodded and they went on.

Jimmy noted that the mechanical dragon appeared to be off as they came around its front. The music was fairly loud now, and he could see a corner of the cave in the distance that was shining with LED lights. It looked like the messy game room of a rich bachelor pad.

Cindy prodded Jimmy side and gestured to a mound to their left. When he looked closer, he saw that it was several people all squished together and tied up. One of them, the elderly man in tattered finery, must have been the king. C'mon, Cindy mouthed as she trotted over to free them. She quietly unsheathed her sword and began to cut the ropes. As they were freed, the noble men and women escaped quietly from the cave. Cindy saved the king for last. At first, as she was cutting him loose, he looked grateful. Then, as she was removing his gag, he began to struggle. It loosened, fell off, and the king screamed.

"Behinden!" he bellowed. Jimmy figured out the meaning quickly and whipped around.

"Well, fancy seeing you here." A familiar voice sneered.

In the glare of the modernized lights that seemed too bright to ever belong in this time period, the looming figure of Smallie Big Big stood smiling at Jimmy and Cindy.

"What are you doing here?" Jimmy shouted incredulously. This was the last person he expected to see in medieval England. "Aren't you in prison?"

"Go," Cindy turned to the old man. "_Gehen! Farhen! Reisen_!" the king hurried out after his people, but not before he kissed Cindy's hand.

"How touching." Smallie scowled as he stood before them in a white velvet tracksuit.

"How are you here?" Jimmy demanded.

"You probably should have done a better check over on yourself before you left my mansion. You were unconscious for quite a long time, if you recall. Which, I suppose by definition of unconscious, you don't." he smiled. "I _bugged_ you, Jimmy Neutron. Did you know you speak aloud when you draw up plans for your latest inventions? Quite convenient. My employees had been waiting for you to come up with something that could break me out of prison, and voila! A machine that travels through time and space." He gestured to a machine very similar to Jimmy's that lay behind him. "Once I escaped, I knew they would find me eventually in our modern day. So I decided to forgo my life there. I decided to become a king! A real king! And so I have arrived here, to claim my throne. Not too shabby, I think."

"I didn't invent the dragon!" Jimmy protested.

"You're not the only genius I've tried to hire, Neutron. Most accept the job." He grinned again. "Unfortunately, you know who I am, and I can't let you go back and tattle on me." He pulled a remote control out of his pocket. "Oh, Drakkus!"

The ground shook as the metal dragon rose to life. Its eyes were red lights that bore down harshly on Jimmy and Cindy as it cornered them. They had to squint, or else be blinded.

"I hope you prefer fire to ice," Smallie taunted, "because you have no choice about how you will die now."

Jimmy raised his club, but before he could do anything, Cindy ran at Drakkus with her sword out. The head of the dragon lunged at her, but she dropped to the ground and somersaulted until she was beneath the beast. She began to slash at its belly. Smallie's foolish choice to build Drakkus in a gold alloy made it easy for Cindy to put some real gashes in. Steam rushed out of wherever she stabbed. She changed goals to the dragon's legs and began removing its limbs.

Jimmy continues to squint at the beast, trying to find its weak spot. It thrashed about, trying to get Cindy out from beneath him, but she was too quick. The bulky dragon was a tortoise in comparison. As Drakkus lunged once more for Cindy as she swung at his leg, Jimmy noticed a hatch that must be for a control panel.

"Hey, King Cranium!" Cindy shouted, nearly out of breath, "A little help soon? I can't keep this up forever!"

"I got it, I got it!" Jimmy said as he began to sneak over to the dragon's skull. However, he mustn't have been as stealthy as he thought, because the dragon whipped its head to face him. It opened its mouth and Jimmy was sure he'd be turned to a crisp.

"Jimmy!" Cindy shouted as she rushed from beneath the dragon. "Take this!" She yelled as she ran to Drakkus' harshly sculpted face and stabbed him in the skull, right through the control panel. An electric shock ran through her sword and Cindy was thrown back from the beast. Drakkus shivered and collapsed.

"Cindy!" Jimmy rushed over to where she was. She was propping herself up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she pushed him away as he knelt. "Where's Smallie?"

Jimmy looked over to his 'crib' area. No more Smallie. No more time machine.

"We haven't seen the last of him." Jimmy stated grimly as he walked over to remove the sword from Drakkus' lifeless form.

"How did I survive that shock?" Cindy wondered aloud to herself. "I feel fine."

"It's was probably my specially made armor." Jimmy smiled to himself.

"Oh, your armor!" Cindy yelled with sarcastic awe as Jimmy removed the sword and held it in front of him.

"Arthur?" a voice called from the mouth of the cave.

Jimmy turned to see the group of people he freed gathered at the end of the cavern, slowly stepping forward. They began to chant.

"ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"

"They misheard me!" Cindy said, vehemently. "When I said your armor- they think I said _yur Arthur_!"

"So that means-" Jimmy beamed.

"There's _no_ way-" Cindy seethed.

"I am King Arthur!" Jimmy bellowed from atop the dragon, sword raised high.

"As if your ego wasn't big enough!" Cindy shouted at him, but she couldn't be heard over the people chanting.

"ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"

..^^^..

They were escorted back to the castle with honor. Cindy kept trying to explain that Jimmy's name wasn't Arthur and that she had actually slain Drakkus, but there was either a language barrier or they just weren't listening.

Libby, Carl and Sheen were doing just fine. Carl even seemed to make a friend in the town boy's hog. He was loath to leave it behind, but the promise of a McSpanky's burger on the way home lured him back. The King offered them a huge feast, but they all just really wanted to get home. Cindy told them what happened and the way back to the time travelling machine.

"And so, your favorite rapper strikes again, Libs. And now Arthurian legend is based off of King Cranium here, even though _I_ did all the hard work."

"King Cranium?" Jimmy smirked. "I believe that's King Arthur to you, peasant."

"I still have the sword, Dorkus Maximus. I'd watch out if I were you." Cindy threatened and, despite her best effort, let slip a smile.

**A/N: Now that it's summer, I'll hopefully start updating on a regular basis again. Perhaps I'll finish up the story by August. We'll see. The point is, I had loads of fun writing this again and I can't wait to hear some new feedback. Thanks to everyone who dutifully reviewed the last chapter while it was on hiatus. I'm so sorry to those who waited, because I read plenty of fanfics too and I know how frustrating it can be. But I'm back, and I'll do my best to keep up with you guys! Read, review, see you soon!**


	18. Sunburn, and Other Things

**A/N: SURPRISE! ENJOY**

Cindy found it offensive that the weather deigned to be so bright and sunny when the state of the world was clearly a thundering mess. She was sitting in her room with a stack of books practically as tall as she was. It was time for AP tests and finals.

"The most wonderful time of the year!" she said aloud to herself with superfluous sarcasm as she reread the same passage in her textbook for the trillionth time. She finally decided to give it a rest for an hour or so. It was Saturday after all.

She broke out her phone, and after enjoying a good mindless scroll on Facebook, she called Libby.

"Hey!" the familiar voice answered.

"Hey. What are you up to?" Cindy asked as she plopped on her bed.

"Nothing right now," Libby answered with a yawn. She had probably just woken up. Cindy reminded herself that most people her age probably didn't wake up at 7 on the weekends to study. "I'm headed over to Sheen's later to take advantage of his pool, though. It's so nice out! Winter lasted waaaay too long this year. How about you?"

"Oh, you know. The Vortex vortex. I'm locked in my room, studying, wishing to be literally anywhere else." Cindy sighed as she glanced at her books.

"Well, you could come to Sheen's with me later."

"As much fun as third-wheeling sounds, I think I'll take my chances with AP Bio."

"You won't be third-wheeling! Sheen said Carl's probably coming anyway." Libby entreated.

"Carl. Just Carl? Or will…" Cindy trailed off. Libby sighed.

"Yes, your highness, the drama queen. Jimmy has also been invited to this event."

"Hey! I have been _way_ better about this lately!" Cindy defended.

"Yes, yes."

"I just like to be warned, is all!"

"Sure. So do you want to come?"

Cindy paused. After glancing between her books and the bright, sunny, sky out her window for a few seconds, she responded.

"No, I should really study."

"CINDY!" Libby exclaimed in exasperation.

"Okay, okay. When are you guys going?"

"Yay! We're going at 2. See you there!"

Cindy hung up the phone, defeated once again by Libby's persuasion. It was the studying that was bothering her anyway. She should be relieved for a break. As she sat down at her desk she looked out her window across the street to the little shed where she was sure he was. She assured herself again, all she needed was a break.

..^^^..

Jimmy sat in his lab on a sunny Saturday, doing a few regular tune-ups on some of the more complex machinery in the lab.

It had been a month. If you counted a month as thirty days, it had been exactly a month and three days. That would make it four weeks and five days. 33 days. Jimmy continued to calculate down to the seconds exactly how long it had been since he had so foolishly decided to confess he had stupid feelings, only for them to be stomped on by an emotionless robot.

Jimmy knew thinking that was a bit unfair to Cindy, but he certainly had the right to mope. Sure, they'd been a bit more cordial as of late, but that didn't make it any less difficult every time he saw her. To make it worse, he had just found a scarf of hers she must have forgotten in the couch cushion. It smelled like her and he hated it. So, naturally, he was wearing it as he worked on mechanical maintenance.

Jimmy would have given anything just to talk to her. Just her. And back the way it used to be, before everything was terrible. He imagined, for what was probably the three-hundredth time, Cindy plopping into the lab and immediately throwing a playful insult at him. He would, of course, come up with some witty retort before they sat together on the couch, their knees touching. As Cindy would flip on the TV, Jimmy would start kissing her cheek, and she'd laugh before kissing him back and…

"Bark!" Goddard pulled Jimmy from his reverie and nodded toward the security camera footage. Carl was approaching, coming to drive Jimmy to Sheen's house to swim, an event he had nearly forgotten all about.

"Sorry Carl," Jimmy said as his friend entered, "I lost track of time. I still have to change."

"Oh, yeah, that's okay. I was a little confused about your outfit choice." Carl replied.

Jimmy looked down to see Cindy's pink striped scarf still hanging on his neck.

"Oh, this?" Jimmy removed it and chuckled nervously. "It's a… science scarf."

"A science scarf?"

"Yeah, you know. A scarf. For science. It uh… helps me think straight and uh… remember… stuff."

"Oh, okay." Carl accepted. Jimmy felt a wave of relief crash over him.

"Anyway, let me grab my trunks. I'll be right back."

..^^^..

Cindy found herself staring at the sunburn on his shoulders as she lounged on the pool steps, halfway submerged. Libby sat with her, drinking lemonade, as the three boys attempted to use the water guns as obnoxiously as possible.

"I'm glad you came," Libby smiled, "because trying to empty the pool of water using only super soakers would not have been my first activity choice."

"He's going to get skin cancer." Cindy said, barely registering Libby's comment.

"What?"

"I mean, who doesn't put sunscreen on? Idiot."

Libby rolled her eyes emphatically. Then, at a particularly evil thought, she smirked.

"I bet you wish you could rub some spf 50 all over his scrawny bod." Libby laughed.

"LIBBY!" Cindy splashed her lightly. She was quiet then for a while, and Libby wondered if she had maybe opened a still very tender wound.

"Are you okay, Cin?"

"Yeah, it's great to get out of the house."

"You know what I mean." Libby prompted. Cindy was quiet again. "You miss him."

"What? How can I miss somebody who is literally feet from my face? Speaking of which, maybe this isn't the best time for this conversation." Cindy drifted into a whisper.

"They're busy. They won't notice. And you miss him." Libby declared. Cindy scowled at her before slumping over and moaning into the water, bubbles rising up around her blonde hair. When she emerged, she rested her dripping chin on her hands.

"I hate him, you know." Cindy said, glaring at his increasingly red shoulders.

"I know." Libby laughed.

"Ugh. I… I messed up, Libby. I mean, he clearly messed up first. But I messed up too."

"Why don't you talk to him?"

"Because, I… he…" Cindy searched for words. "Because."

"Great reason."

"Thanks."

"Really though," Libby nudged Cindy with her shoulder, "you guys clearly still love each other." Cindy nearly jumped out of the water when Libby mention the L word.

"That's the issue, though. I don't… love him. We're not in some fairy tale rom-com, you know. I can live without him. I don't need anyone that I can pretend to have mystical lovey-dovey feelings for just so I can live out some narrative that society has forced down our throats for centuries. However, the genius here prefers to believe it's all real. He's deluded, and yet he's considered the smart one." Cindy crossed her arms and glared once more at the now lobster-red shoulders of Jimmy Neutron.

"Cynical, much?" Libby laughed again.

"Did you know the original Greek Cynics were founded by a man who acted like a dog all day to live out what he thought was the purest form of living?" Cindy huffed, trying to change the subject. Libby looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "If you consider cynicism to be observance of frank truth, then yes."

"You guys are perfect for each other." Libby shook her head. "And maybe the Hollywood kind of love doesn't exist. But I don't know what else you call what you feel, Cindy. I know you miss him, I know you think about him all the time, and I know you want him to be happy. So why not make him happy and get some happiness for yourself too?"

At this, Cindy grabbed one of the remaining water guns and began firing at the boys as she swam away from Libby. Libby sighed.

"The two biggest idiots in the universe."

..^^^..

In the evening, they had all gotten out of the pool and were drying off in some lawn chairs in Sheen's backyard. Jimmy was surprised at how much he had enjoyed himself – after all, he hadn't expected Cindy to be there. And yet, here he was, unfrazzled and perhaps even having a good time.

"And don't even get me started on Physics." Sheen continued with his tirade against finals. "Jimmy I think I'm going to need a science scarf to pass that one."

"What?" Jimmy snapped, panicked, and now completely frazzled.

"Yeah, Carl told me you were wearing one earlier. I'd prefer mine not to be pink striped though. Now, an Ultra Lord scarf…" Sheen continued rambling, but Jimmy wasn't listening at all. His ears were practically on fire with the heat of his embarrassment. He hoped Cindy wasn't listening, and if she was, he hoped dearly she didn't pick up the fact that Sheen was talking about _her_ scarf. Jimmy took a chance and glanced in her direction. She was looking up, at the sunset presumably, and she didn't seem to have heard anything unusual. Jimmy relaxed and put his focus back on Sheen.

"…and that's why Ultra Lord is so good at accessorizing."

"Fascinating stuff, Sheen." Jimmy responded, pretending to have paid attention.

They all talked for a while longer before Libby suggested they all go out to grab a bit to eat.

"No thanks," Cindy said, standing up and gathering her things, "I told my mother I'd be home for dinner. She wants to keep an eye on me and make sure I study tonight."

"I'm up for it!" Sheen shouted enthusiastically as he grabbed Libby's hand. "Anything to accompany my lovely lady." Libby rolled her eyes, but gave a small smile.

"Actually, I can't either." Jimmy said, not much enjoying the prospect of watching Sheen and Libby get all kissy while he was eating, "I still have some upkeep on my mechanisms I didn't finish earlier."

"Well, I want to go!" Carl said eagerly, never willing to pass up an offer for food.

"But Carl, you're my ride." Jimmy reminded.

"C'mon, Jimmy! We could go to McSpanky's." Carl begged.

"Ah, yes. What an exotic locale." Jimmy said, dejected.

"You know," Cindy said, very hesitantly, "I… I could drive you."

"Um," Jimmy paused for what was probably much too long, "sure. I guess. Thanks."

"Whatever. I mean, you do live right across the street. I'm not going out of my way for you or anything." She clarified.

"No, of course not." Jimmy quickly agreed, "It makes very logical sense."

And so, Jimmy Neutron prepared for the longest ten minute drive of his life. After saying goodbye to the others, Jimmy and Cindy walked out to her car and got in without saying a word. The silence persisted for the next seven minutes, which felt more like seven centuries to Jimmy. He looked and the clock on the dashboard and watched for each passing minute.

"I was wondering where that scarf had gone, you know." Cindy said very quietly. Jimmy flinched in surprise that their silence had been broken.

"Ah," he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "you heard that, did you?"

"You know you can't get much past me." Cindy offered a small smile, "Smart as a whip, and all."

"Says who?" Jimmy smiled back with a short snicker. Then the silence started to creep back. Quickly, Jimmy attempted to break it again. "I can give it back to you when we get home."

"No, you don't have to." Cindy said very quickly, then backtracked, "I mean, I never really liked it in the first place. Plus, I'm sure it's a great look for you. Better than the one you currently have anyway. Although, it will _always_ look better on me." This time Cindy gave a real smile as she looked out onto the road ahead of them.

"Pfft. In your dreams. You simply can't pull off the level of class that scarf requires. I, however, bring tons of class to the table." They were both laughing and Jimmy hadn't noticed the car was stopped between their houses until it was quiet again. Cindy was looking at him, smirk still on her face, and Jimmy found himself fixated by the freckles on her nose. He had forgotten how much he liked them.

"Well, see you later, Vortex." Jimmy said hastily, realizing they had been staring at each other for far too long. Jimmy heard her mutter a brief goodbye as he rushed out of the car and toward his house.

..^^^..

She wasn't crazy – well, clearly she was for being interested in him – but Cindy Vortex could have sworn that she and Jimmy were just having a moment. But there he went, scrambling out of the car as quickly as his short little legs could take him.

As Cindy pulled into her driveway and went inside her house, she wondered if he ran out because he didn't like her that way anymore, and he didn't want to make-up. Now it certainly hadn't been Cindy's goal to go ahead and get back together right then in the car, but the thought that he might not want to made her feel sick. She got to her room and threw herself on the bed, moaning into the pillow. She had been so upset that Jimmy Neutron loved her, that the thought of him losing his feelings for her and moving on had never crossed her mind. Now that it had, she found herself unreasonably upset.

She did break up with _him_, after all. She did that specifically because he declared his love for her. And now, she lay here with her stomach in knots because he might not like her anymore.

"Ugggghhhhhhhhh." Cindy let out a long moan and began to shout into her pillow, "I don't know _what_ I want anymore."

Really, she was just lying to herself again. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to go across the stupid street to that dumb lab to see the idiotic boy that she hated. She wanted to yell at him for not using sunscreen, and complain about the DVD choices he had. She wanted to go down there and make fun of his terrible hair while she fixed the mistakes he made on his latest invention. She wanted to have a shouting match over some useless academic article and then laugh about it in between kisses. She wanted to fall asleep next to him watching October Sky and draw a stupid mustache on his face when she woke up first.

She wanted to be with him. Having been apart for exactly 33 days, which she had calculated was 2,851,200 seconds, was practically unbearable. Those few minutes they had just had in the car, they had felt so right and comfortable and natural. And what did that really mean? Cindy searched for any other word to describe it that wasn't the one she feared so much.

"Cynthia! Come downstairs and get your dinner!"

..^^^..

When Jimmy got down to his lab the scarf was laying there on the couch. Taunting him. Groaning aloud, he went and sat next to it. After angrily staring at it for at least two minutes, he grabbed it and hung it on his neck. Jimmy tossed his head back and accepted his terrible fate as ultimate loser and complete sap. Goddard jumped up on the couch and prodded Jimmy's arm.

SO YOU HAD A GOOD DAY?

"Fantastic." Jimmy grumbled.

CINDY?

Jimmy groaned again.

MY PROGRAMMING WILL REGISTER THAT RESPONSE AS AFFIRMATIVE

"I don't remember making that adjustment." Jimmy remarked. Goddard panted happily.

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

"I think I should just accept that everything is awful and I'll probably die wearing this stupid scarf."

SEE HER?

"No. She made it very clear that she doesn't have feelings for me. And now, even when we're friendly, I can't stand it because, as was aforementioned, everything is awful."

NO, SEE HER. SHE'S HERE

Jimmy had failed to notice the blinking red lights over the computer, the vestiges of the good old Girl Intruder alarm. Jimmy looked to the security camera to see Cindy walking up to the lab door. Jimmy's current plans were to pretend he wasn't inside, even though she had probably just seen him walk in after he left the car.

"Listen, Nerdtron," Cindy talked to the camera, "I have to make this quick because my mother is serving supper and I told her you accidentally took my phone."

Cindy looked very angry. She was probably about to tell him off for being so friendly in the car. Whatever. That might as well happen. Jimmy noted that she was taking an awfully long pause as she glared at the camera.

"I love you, idiot." Cindy scowled. "Okay, Bye." And with that, she turned and left.

Jimmy sat in shock for a few seconds. Then, he bolted from the couch and out the door. She was stomping, very quickly, across the street.

"HEY, VORTEX!" Jimmy called. She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What do you want?" She crossed her arms. Then, noticing something she rolled her eyes. "Are you really wearing that scarf right now? You are _such_ a sentimental freak!"

Jimmy looked down at the stupid thing and then whipped his head up to face her.

"What in the name of Neil DeGrasse Tyson did you just try to _pull_?" he bellowed.

"What?" Cindy snapped. At this point, Jimmy had reached her on the sidewalk closest to her house.

"Oh, please, Vortex. Smart as a whip, my butt. You just came to my door and told my _camera_ you love me, not very nicely I might add, and then you left!"

"What, and your 'I love you' was so much better timed and more eloquent?"

"ABSOLUTELY!" Jimmy yelled in exasperation.

"Well, that's rich!"

"Would you like me to show you how to actually have feelings, Vortex?"

"Oh, BE MY GUEST!" Cindy put her hands on her hips.

"FINE. I LOVE YOU!"

"WELL, I LOVE YOU MORE!"

"Oh, for Newton's sake, Cindy! Do you always have to try to one-up me?!" Jimmy shook his head in disbelief.

"What, because you've clearly never tried to one-up me ever in all of history?! Whatever! I have to go in for dinner!"

"Fine! You should come over later!"

"FINE."

And with that, they gave each other a quick kiss and promptly turned to their respective homes.

..^^^..

A few hours later, Cindy stopped by the lab. Upon landing on a suspiciously new cushion, she stood and took the room in.

"It is an absolute mess down here, you know." She grimaced.

"Not as big of a mess as your life, Vortex." Jimmy smiled from the couch.

"Oh, ha ha." Cindy faked her laugh emphatically as she sat down next to him. She picked up the remote to put something on the TV, but Jimmy was preventing her from this simple task by kissing her cheek incessantly. She laughed and playfully shoved him off.

"Ow!" Jimmy said, removing her hand from his shoulder, "sunburn. A bad one." Cindy scoffed.

"I knew it. I'm right again."

"Cin, what are you talking –" before Jimmy could finish his sentence, Cindy was returning his kisses with gusto. They did break apart after a little while, though.

"So," Jimmy said, smirking, "you love me, huh?"

"Shut up."

"Cindy loves Jimmy, Cindy loves Jimmy," Jimmy began the taunting tune.

"SHUT UP!"

**A/N: And they lived angrily ever after. I had some free time and I'd been meaning to finish this thing forever. I'm not 100% happy with how it ended (one of my other ideas involved the valedictorian and salutatorian making out on stage, which I think may have been funnier), but I think it wraps it up for the most part. Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting after all this time. I'm really glad to have found so many people who have enjoyed my work over the years. Thanks again, but I gotta blast!**


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